A Trial of Will
by aboz567
Summary: After finally winning a league, Ash returns home to relax for a while before setting out on a new adventure. With many of his old friends in Pallet to congratulate him, life cannot be better for Ash Ketchum. But when true evil arises in the New Team Rocket, will he be able to save the most important person in his life? Advance/Pearl/Amour. Character Death and Dark themes.
1. Victory and Feelings

**A/N: Hey guys! Welcome to my first first story, "A Trial of Will!" I can't wait until this story really takes off. Anyway, I just want to straiten a few things out before you start reading. First off, this takes place about 2 years after Kalos. For the sake of the story, Kanto thorough Johto took only one year where as Hoenn/Battle frontier and Sinnoh took 2 years respectively with Unova again taking only one year. Also May and Dawn will both be the same age of 17 in this story with the reason being Dawn waited a year to get her first pokemon (Meh... why not.) More character's ages will be revealed as they are introduced. Also, pokemon leagues take place every two years instead of every year; that just seems to make more sense since all the trainers have to travel for so long.**

**Ash: 18**

**Brock: 24**

**Serena: 18**

**May:17 (nearly 18)**

**Dawn:17 (nearly 18)**

* * *

**A Trial of Will**

It wouldn't be hard to believe that the cheers could be heard throughout the entire region. The only thing that could have been louder was a gang of Explouds. At the center of it all was the one and only, Ash Ketchum.

Standing on one end of the battle field, inside the newly refurbished Indigo Plateau was, of course, Ash. In front of him, looking a little worse for the wear but still standing, was his faithful Pokemon and best friend Pikachu. At the call made by the referee, Pikachu seemed to gain some new found energy and took off running towards Ash and jumped into his arms with a huge smile on his face.

At the same time, on the opposite side of the field was a boy slightly older than Ash with long purple hair and an expressionless look plastered on his face. Paul, as he was known, recalled his Torterra and quietly thanked it for all of his hard work.

Back on Ash's side of the field, the celebration was beginning.

Ash froze when he heard the referee. He'll never forget his words, "Torterra is unable to battle, which means Ash Ketchum from Pallet town is this years winner of the Indigo Plateau Conference!"

It was only when Pikachu catapulted into him that he came out of his stupor and finally realized what had just happened.

He had done it.

He had finally won a league tournament.

"Pikachu! We did it! We Finally did! We won a pokemon league! This is our first step to becoming pokemon masters!" Ash screamed to the yellow rodent.

"Pikachu Pikapi!"

Ash was too caught up in his celebration to notice Paul, whom had made his way over to his side of the field. He coughed in order to get Ash's attention. Ash, hearing this, stopped dancing around to see Paul standing in front of him.

"Well Ketchum, I can't say I'm too happy with the results, but I came over her to say congratulations. As much as it pains me to say it...the better man won today." Paul seemed to struggle a bit with his words; Being nice was still kind of new to him.

Ash continued staring at Paul for a few seconds until offering him a handshake, "Paul. That was the greatest battle of my entire career as a pokemon trainer and I'm glad it was against such a great trainer and an even better friend."

At his words, Paul actually smiled, something he still rarely did and took Ash's hand for a shake.

Paul had changed drastically from when Ash first met him in Sinnoh, most people say for the better. He stopped verbally abusing his pokemon and actually began treating them right. It was this change, Ash believed, that was the reason why Paul was his opponent in the finals. His change is also what made the two men such good friends.

After Kalos, the two met up again in Johto and upon seeing how Paul had bettered himself first hand, Ash had offered Paul the opportunity to travel with him, Brock and Serena. Paul thought it over a lot and eventually accepted, but just for a while.

During that time Ash and Paul became very close friends, realizing how much they had in common now that they weren't always at each others throats.

Paul and Ash went their separate ways after Johto, however, due to Paul wanting to re challenge the Sinnoh league where as Ash wanted to go back through Unova. And so the two split up, knowing that they had a great friend and rival in the other.

After the handshake, Paul had taken Ash's arm and raised it above his head, signifying that he was the champion. At this, the crowd went wild and many were touched by this great showing of sportsmanship.

At this point, Charles Goodshow made his way onto the field and on to the referee platform, microphone in hand.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. I don't think I need to mention just how incredible that battle was." Cheers erupted throughout the stadium.

Goodshow smiled warmly as he waited for the crowd noise to die down, "Now, at this time I would like to welcome up onto the podium, the winner of the Indigo Plateau Conference, Ash Ketchum!"

"Good luck up there. I'll see you in the locker room after the trophy presentation." With this said, Paul took his leave, strolling into the annals of the stadium.

Ash wasted no time in getting to Mr. Goodshow, who welcomed the young man with a handshake and a congratulations.

"Thank you Mr. Goodshow! This is all so incredible!." Ash said as he eyed the massive crowd of over 100,000 people, an bright and enormous smile gracing his features.

"You deserve it Ash. You really do" Goodshow responded as he turned to the microphone to address the crowd. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I would now like to present Mr. Ketchum with the Indigo League trophy!"

As this was said, a young man made his way up the stairs of the podium with a large, golden trophy in his grasp. He handed the trophy to Ash and quickly took his leave.

Ash stared at the trophy with wide eyes. He truly couldn't believe it. After all of his hard work, all the times that he had come so close, he had finally taken the first step towards pokemon mastership.

He couldn't help to think back to all of his near-victories. His 2nd place finish in the Kalos league followed by two more 2nd place finishes in both the Johto league and the Unova league. These losses no longer mattered, however, because here, now, he was holding the proof that he had won the Indigo Plateau Conference in his home region of Kanto.

"Well Ash, do you have anything you would like to say to the crowed or maybe anyone watching at home?" Goodshow asked Ash, who looked a little taken aback by the question.

Ash moved uncomfortably toward the microphone stand. Despite his confidence when it came to battling, public speaking wasn't something he particularly loved. It was obvious to see that he was struggling to find something to say.

"Uhhh...ummm." Ash mumbled out before taking a deep breath and calming himself. "First off, I have to thank Paul for that incredible battle. A match like that is truly a once in a lifetime event." Ash paused as the audience cheered.

"I'm not sure how many of you have followed my career as a pokemon trainer but-" Ash was cut off by the roaring of the crowd. He knew that with all of his near-victories as well as his successes in the orange league as well as the Kanto Battle Frontier, he was bound to have accumulated at least some fans. That being said, he was definitely not expecting that this many people knew who he was.

Ash laughed a bit as the crowd began to die down, "Okay, so it seems a lot of you know me, but that's beside the point. Right now, I'm the happiest man in the world, but I wouldn't be where I am without the support of many people; too many to mention really, but I am going to try."

Ash couldn't help but give credit to all of his friends; his travels with all of them were what gave him the strength and knowledge to be that point.

"Misty Waterflower, the first person I met on my journey and one of my best friends. To all of you, she's probably just the Cerulean City Gym leader but to me, she will always be the girl who's bike I fried and the person that was there for me when I needed her the most. And also the girl that taught me more than anyone else. Thank you Misty." Ash finished looking directly at the camera.

"Next I want to acknowledge Brock Harrison. The worlds first traveling pokemon doctor to most, but again, to me, he is my absolute best guy friend on the planet. He taught me so much and traveled with me for so long that our bond has grown far beyond that of just friendship. Brock and I are brothers, and nothing less."

"Max Maple. I know most of you don't know of him yet but trust me, you will. With his knowledge of pokemon, there is no way he won't take the pokemon leagues by storm. He's only 14 now and hasn't really done anything to make a name for himself as of yet, but that kid taught me more about pokemon than anyone else I have ever met. A time will come when he will be sweeping through leagues and destroying challengers at the Petalburgh City Gym, you can quote me on that."

"May Maple, the princess of Hoenn." The crowd cut him off once again, obviously recognizing the name. "Yeah, she's amazing isn't she? She hasn't won a grand festival yet, but she has made a huge impact on the world of coordinating, and an even bigger impact on me. She was always there for me and has never let me down. I can't help but smile every time I think of her and I can't wait until I get to see her again... whenever that may be. Oh and did I mention... I kind of accidentally destroyed her bike as well." This earned a laugh from the crowed.

Ash sighed and shook his head, letting out a short laugh before speaking,"Jeez, I feel like one big cliche right now. Only a few more, so bare with me."

It was easy to see that no one in the crowd minded his long winded speech and were interested in learning more about the new victor and those closest to him.

"Next up is Dawn Berlitz. An excellent coordinator who I'm sure all of you have heard of. Like the others, we met by total accident and I couldn't be happier that we did. Similarly to May, I like to think I helped her along but really, she never needed my help. She was amazing from the start. When I talk about her, I get so incredibly happy because she is just such a great person. I don't know when we will see each other again, but I hope it's soon." Ash rubbed the back of his head sheepishly before continuing, "Oh and...I kind of destroyed her bike as well."

This earned a roar of laughter from the crowd. No one could believe he had destroyed three of his best friend's bikes.

Ash went on to speak kindly about Iris, Cilan, Clemont and Bonnie as he did all the others before coming to his last personal thank you.

"And last but not least is Serena Yvonne. Me and her go all the way back to when we were just 6 years old. I helped her out of a jam during summer camp and she never forgot. We didn't meet up again until a few years ago, but she's been by my side ever since. I can't thank her enough for all of the support she has given me over the years and I know she understands that I will always support her as well." Ash managed to spot her in the crowd, locking eyes with her as he continued. "She reminded me to never give up and I can't even begin to repay her for all she has done for me. She is one of the most important people in my life and another of my best friends. Thank you Serena."

He was still looking at her but couldn't read her facial expressions as she was too far away.

"Anyway, I'm being told I now have the record for longest speech in Indigo League history so I'm going to get going, but thank you all for supporting me and watching me take my first step to become a pokemon master."

The crowd gave one more earsplitting cheer as Ash gave Goodshow a handshake. Ash then proceeded into the locker room, Pikachu on his shoulder and his new trophy in hand.

* * *

"This still doesn't feel real, you know Pikachu?" Ash asked his electric friend while sitting in the empty locker room.

"Pika Pikachu" Pikachu said while nodding his head.

_"___I wonder where Paul is."__Ash thought to himself. _"He said he would be in here when I was done."_

Just then, he saw his purple haired friend enter the locker room, contently munching on a hamburger.

"There you are. I was wondering where you wondered off to." Ash said to the new arrival.

"Sorry. I got hungry, so I gave some kid an autograph for his hamburger and soda." Paul mumbled through his full mouth.

"Seriously Paul? Don't you think that's a little below you?" Ash questioned incredulously.

The only response he got was a shrug as Paul continued eating his burger. It was at this time that both men heard a commotion from outside the locker room door.

"Hey let us through, we're friends of the winner!" The voice was muffled, but Ash could definitely tell it was Serena's. He quickly rushed over to the door and swung it open, catching the eyes of his friends, Serena and Brock, as well as the body guard keeping them out.

"Let them in, they're friends of mine." Ash spoke sternly to the security guard who simply shrugged and moved aside, allowing Brock and Serena entry.

While walking through the door, Serena couldn't help but stick her tongue out at the 'mean security guard' as to taunt him. Ash saw this and let out a giggle, it was just so like Serena to do something like that.

Ash closed the door and made his way over to the couches that now occupied Serena and Brock.

Before his friends could get a word out, Ash spoke, "Hey guys, I'm going to go to the bathroom real quick, be right back."

Ash entered the restroom and took stance in front of one of the sinks. He turned on the faucet and let the cold water run onto his hands. He then brought his hands to his face, hoping to rejuvenate himself after the long and tiring battle. He then brought his head up until he was staring himself down in the mirror.

"You finally did it Ash. You've finally a true step toward completing your goal." Ash said to himself, smirking all the while.

Ash'd gone to the restroom in order to just be alone for a few more moments, hoping to let the fact that he had won really sink in. Now that he was alone and had some time to reflect, he could definitely say that this was the best day of his life thus far.

Satisfied, Ash left the bathroom to return to his friends. However, as he left through the door, he was stopped in his tracks when he was hit by something. Ash looked down and saw a blonde head on his chest and felt arms wrap around his body. It turned out that this "something" was actually Serena who'd ran to Ash at full speed and tackled him into a hug.

Only looking up to meet Ash's eyes and not separating from the hug, Serena began to speak, "Ash, you did it! After all of those close calls, it's finally your time to shine, and I couldn't be prouder of you."

"And what you said during your speech...about me, it was just... so amazing. I-I didn't know you thought so highly of me." By this time, Serena had a noticeable blush on her face and released Ash from the hug iso that she could try to hide it.

Ash responded immediately, "Of course I do, Serena! You helped me so much throughout my journey. There's no way I'd be where I am right now without you. And I can't thank you enough for everything you have done for me. I meant every word I said up there. Hell, I would've said more if I thought I had more time." Ash finished with his signature smile.

Serena's face turned even redder at the praise, but it's not like she was wasn't used to it by now. If Ash could've seen Serena more closely while he was talking about her during his speech, he would have noticed another massive blush on her face, paired with a breathtakingly beautiful smile.

It was no secret that Serena had feelings for Ash, well... no secret to everyone __but__Ash. Naturally, with being around him so much, she could help but become great at hiding her blushing face whenever that would happen.

All in all, traveling the regions with Ash had by far been the best years of Serena's life and she didn't plan to leave his side any time soon.

"Hey, congratulations...brother." Brock chimed in with a grin plastered on his tanned face.

Ash could help but smile himself at this. What he said was true, him and Brock were basically brothers. Out of all of his companions, Brock had been with him the longest and he wouldn't soon forget everything the older man had done for him over the years.

After Brock's departure before heading to Unova, the depression Ash felt from his best friend leaving hurt more than he imagined. Similar feelings were also shared by Brock.

But luckily for them both, Brock's love for travel and friendship with Ash encouraged him to try something no one had ever done before him. After becoming certified as an official pokemon doctor, Brock decided to take his practice on the road. It seemed odd to his colleagues at first, but traveling allowed him to visit places that didn't have their own pokemon doctors; Brock was a godsend to most of his patients.

Becoming the first traveling pokemon doctor not only allowed Brock to do what he loved, but it also allowed him to travel with his best friend again and now. All in all, everything was working out great.

"Thanks Brock-O. The same goes for you as well, I meant every word I said out there." Ash said, pointing in the direction of the arena.

"Don't worry Ash, I had no doubt in my mind that you were being genuine. And I've got to say, I'm really glad to have another brother." Brock responded.

Ash smile widened as he walked to Brock and pulled him into a quick, manly hug.

Off to the side, Paul was trying to talk to Serena, but she was trying her best to ignore him.

Serena had never really liked Paul all that much, despite the fact that he was one of Ash's good friends. During the time they all traveled together, Ash spent most of his time hanging out and training with Paul and she couldn't help but blame Paul for taking Ash's attention away from her. She knew this was petty, and she actually did enjoy having Paul around more often than not, but he could also frustrate and annoy her to no end.

Paul was used to her silent treatment by now, but he he knew there was one subject that would always get her to talk, "You know it's stupid, right? That you haven't told him yet. I really don't know what you're waiting for at this point."

Serena finally acknowledged Paul's words and blushed red while glaring at him, a little surprised by his words. She pulled him further away from her two companions and began to speak, "SHHHH! Do you want him to hear you?" Serena was furious at Paul for being so reckless.

"Serena, you know you're being ridiculous. Just tell him already! Don't you want to be happy?!" Paul said the last sentence much louder than all those preceding it.

"Tell who what Serena?" Ash asked innocently, honestly having know idea what was going on, only having heard about Serena needing to tell someone something.

Serena was horrified, but tried her best to act quickly and keep a relatively neutral look on her face, "Oh...I...uh... nothing Ash. Just forget about it, okay?"

Ash, never being one to pry, just shrugged his shoulders and returned to his conversation with Brock. Breathing a sigh of relief, Serena turned her attention back to Paul.

"Don't ever do that again, or you won't like what happens!" Most of the time, there was no way you could be afraid of Serena, with her being way too cute to be considered as any kind of threat, but the look she gave Paul was enough to strike fear into him.

Sensing that her mission of instilling fear into Paul was complete, Serena dropped the glare and spoke softly. She knew that Paul had mostly brought this up simply to get her to pay attention to him, but she knew that there was always truth behind what he was saying regarding this, "Listen Paul, I'm just not ready. I-I really just don't want to ruin our friendship. If I made thing uncomfortable between us...if I lost him somehow...I just can't live without him, Paul."

"When will you be ready? It's been more than two years and you still say you're not ready? If you ever want this to happen, then you have to make a move because Arceus knows that Ash won't." Paul responded. Despite the teasing, he actually did want to help her.

Serena sighed, "Maybe you're right... I promise that I will do it soon, how about that?"

"Sounds good to me, just make sure you actually follow through with it. You don't want to end up losing him to someone else." Paul mentioned, using this tactic to hopefully scare her into action.

Though, there was a level of truth to his statement as Paul recalled the blue haired girl, Dawn, having a pretty obvious rush on him back when he was traveling through Sinnoh. With this experience, it wasn't hard to believe that Ash could've captured the hearts of others that would surely act as competition for Serena. Just because it hadn't happened as of yet doesn't mean that it couldn't. And if he was being honest, Serena was his friend and he really did want her to end up happy, and he knew the only way this would be accomplished was if her and Ash became a couple.

But Paul didn't dwell on the topic too much, having never really been one for such things. Plus in the end, this really all came down to Serena.

Serena gulped at the thought of losing Ash. Quickly however, that fear was replaced by the determination to one day soon, find the courage to tell him how she truly feels about him.

* * *

__Petalburgh City, Hoenn Region__

"May would you shut up about Ash and just watch the battle?" Max yelled to his sister.

May laughed nervously, "Hehe... sorry about that."

She truly was sorry about interrupting the match with her talking, but she just couldn't help it. One of her best friends was looking like he was on his way to winning his first pokemon league, and she was excited to say the least.

Around her sat both of her parents, Norman and Caroline. Her friend and rival Solidad as well as her rival Drew, who appeared to be not the least bit interested in the match. May had also allowed Glaceon, who'd let herself out of her pokeball as soon as Pikachu hit the field, to watch the match.

Drew, instead of watching the match, was more interested in watching May. As she grew up, May had become even more beautiful. Her face had matured from that of a young girl to that of a woman. Her figure had slimmed down. And let's just say that puberty had been...very good to her.

Her chest was very large her rear was firm and cute. Her body made a perfect hourglass shape that would make most guys drool and Drew was no exception. However, he was too drowned in jealousy at the moment to be enamored by May's appearance.

Drew couldn't help but be envious at May's admiration towards the boy on TV. May talking so highly of Ash pushed him over the edge, "Hmph, no matter if he wins or not, he will always be a loser. I can't believe you think so highly of him and attribute him for making you who you are, May. That's just ridiculous! That should be my honor. MINE! I'm surprised this dense idiot even made it passed the first round, let alone the finals!"

Everyone in the room was now looking at Drew. Solidad appeared mostly surprised while Max, Norman and Caroline were fuming. But no one could've matched the furious glare that May was shooting at Drew.

Once she'd left Ash to travel with her rivals, May began to really struggle in her contests. Without Ash's support, it seemed as though she had lost it. In fact, she hadn't even gained enough ribbons her first year away to enter the Grand Festival.

However, a late night phone call with Ash seemed to repair what was wrong with her coordinating after Johto. After that night, she was back and better than ever, knowing that Ash would always support her, no matter where he was.

When she failed to reach the grand festival, May didn't hear the end of it from Drew. He would constantly berate her and make her feel terrible about herself after a win __or__a loss. And there was always one person he blamed for her not performing well, and that one person was always the same...

Ash Ketchum.

He would constantly talk about how it was Ash's fault for making her battle too much like a trainer and not a coordinator. Even when he wasn't scolding May after a contest, he still always brought up how Ash was bad in one way or another.

May would always defended her best friend, but Drew would never relent. Just days into her journey in Johto, she became completely sick of Drew. She would now never accept his roses or his advice while training for contests. For that, she relied on Solidad and the past teachings of Ash.

Back at the gym, May was glaring daggers at Drew. How dare he come into her house, uninvited no less, and continue to bad mouth Ash, especially in a moment as big as this one?

"You know what Drew, the only loser I see here is _you_! Not only did you follow me and Solidad to every region we visited after Johto, even though we clearly didn't want you to, but you also have to audacity come into __my__house and bad mouth my _best_ friend! The person I care about more than anyone else in the world!" May shouted, letting out years of pent up anger and frustration towards Drew. She was speaking directly from her heart, not allowing herself to really think before she spoke. That being said, everything she was saying was exactly what she was feeling.

"I gave you another chance to change when we met up halfway through this past year in Hoenn, but you just wouldn't stop not only berating me, but Ash as well. You never could accept that I was better than you...that _he_ was better than you." May continued, her harsh, icy tone never faltering.

"I wasn't berating you, I was only trying to help you become a better coordina-" Drew tried to jump in but was cut off by May.

"Trying to help me?! Is that what you call constantly telling me that I'm a bad coordinator?! That I will never amount to anything in the world of coordinating?! But I proved you wrong didn't I? When I won this years Hoenn grand festival just yesterday!"

"You're taking what I said out of context-" Drew was again cut off.

"No I'm not Drew!" May held a venom in her voice that was intimidating everyone in the room. "You want to know how I know for a fact that is exactly what you told me? It's because those words hurt, Drew! They're branded into my memory forever! I thought you were my friend, but all you ever did was hurt me."

Drew tried to butt in yet again, "But May, I am your friend. In fact, I've always wanted to be more than frie-"

"Are you fucking kidding me!?" May screamed incredulously. Her parents were slightly taken aback by her foul language, but decided to let it slide since this boy really deserved to be chewed out. "You actually expect me to _like _you after all you have done? You're even dumber than you look! You've had enough second chances Drew, our friendship, whatever was left of it, is officially over."

Upon processing her words, Drew actually looked like he was about to cry. Caroline, who had been bottling up her anger during this entire argument decided now was a good time to speak. "Drew, May is our daughter and anyone that isn't kind to her deserves no place in her life. And as for Ash, that man is like a son to us and I have had enough of you bad mouthing him! You are no longer welcome in this house or anywhere near my daughter!"

By now, Drew had let a few tears stroll down his face. In all honesty, he should have known this was coming. He was rarely nice to anyone and that included those he called friends. But he simply refused to change and just continued to be an asshole, not knowing any other way. He turned to leave, before being halted by May's sweet voice.

"Wait, Drew don't go...not yet." May said in the kindest voice she could muster. Drew felt a glimmer of hope flutter through his chest, only to have that feeling was crushed by May's next words, "I want you to watch Ash win. I want you to see just how much better he is than you."

Drew was hurting badly at this point, but he still decided to stay, wanting to spend as much time with May as possible before likely never talking to her again. Everyone turned their attention toward the TV just as Pikachu delivered the final blow to Paul's Torterra with a well placed Iron tail.

When the referee announced Ash as the winner, the entire room, save for Drew, went absolutely crazy with cheers and screams of joy and excitement. May looked to Drew, a satisfied smirk on her face as she saw the defeat in Drew's eyes.

Drew was frozen, trapped in the gaze of May's beautiful sapphire eyes. Even though they were filled with malice and hatred, they were still heavenly. May stood, glaring at Drew, only turing away when she heard here name called by Ash on the TV. She quickly turned her head to see Ash, trophy in hand, speaking into a microphone.

_"___May Maple, the princess of Hoenn... Yeah, she's amazing isn't she. Although she hasn't won a Grand Festival yet, she has made a huge impact on the world of coordinating,..."__

_"___He must not have heard yet.___"_May thought to herself.

What Ash said next surprised her to no extent,_"-but she has made a much bigger impact on me..."_

May couldn't hide the goofy smile on her face when she heard this.

_"S___he was always there for me and has never let me down. I can't help but smile every time I think of her and I can't wait until I get to see her again... whenever that may be."__

May curled one of her hands into a fist and put it next to her heart as she listened to his kind words. Ash always knew how to make someone feel special. While this was happening, she slid her other hand into her pocket and wrapped her hand around the half of the Terracotta ribbon she always kept with her, no matter what.

Drew stood completely still, silently watching as Ash praised May. If he wasn't already broken before, then he was when he saw May in this moment. She had a large, but soft and tender smile on her face, her cheeks were flushed slightly red and she looked happier than he'd ever seen her before.

After Ash finished his speech, Norman walked over to Drew and placed a hand on his shoulder, "I think it's time for you to leave."

His voice was forceful and intimidating, causing Drew to abandon all hope of trying to mend things with May for the time being. On his way out the front door, Drew vowed to himself that he would get May back... no matter what it took.

Back inside, Ash had finished his speech about May and had moved on, but the aforementioned brunette was no longer paying attention to what he was saying. She was still caught up in the incredibly sweet things he'd said about her.

She knew she really shouldn't have been surprised, it was just Ash being Ash, but she just couldn't get over it, over him, who he is as a person. He'd credited so much to her, told the whole world how much she meant to him. May caught herself thinking, for what seemed like the millionth time, why she had ever left the companionship of Ash.

Just seeing Ash on the television made her yearn to see him again. It was easy to see that he had matured a lot since they'd last seen each other in person back in Sinnoh. He now had a muscular build and a deeper, but still comforting voice.

His face was a lot less childish in appearance and he was considerably taller. He towered over Mr. Goodshow and May, having met the man before, used this to put Ash somewhere around 6'4". If she was being completely honest...she thought Ash looked _incredibly_ attractive; she'd always found him to be a good looking guy, but this was something else, something _more_, it seemed. And the more she watched him, the more that feeling of longing grew; the more she wanted to see him again.

May was so busy in her own little world that she didn't notice Max tap her on the shoulder. She finally came back to reality when Max began to speak. "Hey May, you alright? You're kind of spacing out."

May blushed at her thoughts and shook them out of her head before responding, "Yeah Max, I-I'm fine. I'm just so happy that Ash is one step closer to his dream!"

Max seemed to accept the answer as he was feeling the same way, but both Norman and Caroline had watched May this entire time. It was incredibly obvious to tell what she was thinking about and both parent's faces were plastered with large smirks because of it.

As Max left the family room to go brag to his friends that his "_big bro_" had won the Indigo league, Caroline walked over to May and sat next to her on the couch.

"You must be very excited, May. You win your first Grand Festival and the next day, your best friend wins a league. I'd say that's a pretty incredible two days." Caroline spoke with a smile.

"You can say that again! Of course I'm happy that I won and all, but I can't help but feel even happier that Ash is finally one step closer to his dream." May declared, the huge smile never leaving her face.

Caroline dropped her smile for a moment as she figured out how to word what she would say next, "Honey, I'm really sorry about Drew. I know you told me he was sometimes mean to you and would talk badly about Ash, but I had no idea."

May shrugged and gave a sad smile. "It's okay mom, really. I think maybe I was just spoiled by how Ash always treated me. I mean, I guess Drew was trying to help me as well, it's just...well, he sucked at it."

"And he's an asshole." Caroline said seriously before both mother and daughter broke out into laughter.

"You can say that again. I don't need a toxic friend like him when I have others like Solidad over here who truly help me out and care about me." May said, gesturing to her good friend sitting to the right of the two women in a chair. "I just can't believe that Drew was about to tell me that he wanted to be more than friends. Honestly, I don't even like him as a friend!"

Caroline plastered a smirk on her face as she began to speak, "I don't blame you. And besides, I'm pretty sure your heart already belongs to someone else..."

May looked at her mother quizzically, "What do you mean-" May was interrupted by her mother gesturing her head towards the TV which housed a picture of Ash with the words 'champion' written beneath it.

May's face instantly went deep red as she realized her mother's implication and remembered her thoughts about Ash from just moments ago.

May began to speak, albeit very shyly, "Mom, I-I don't like Ash...like that. He is my best friend and that's-that's it..." Even though she'd said it, May wasn't sure what she was feeling for her raven haired friend. If she was being honest, she hadn't been sure for a long time.

Caroline just smirked at her daughter, "Whatever you say dear. Just know that people like Ash are hard to find in this world. Someone's going to snatch him up if you don't do it first."

May's face turned a deep shade of red and for some reason, a wave of panic rushed through her when she thought about losing Ash to another woman. Her mom obviously thought that the two belonged together. May, being confused about her feelings, opted to remain quiet.

"He's probably going back home to Pallet after his win. I think you should go see him and congratulate him in person. I'll leave you to think about it. Come on Norman, Solidad, let's go prepare dinner for tonight." With that, Caroline took her leave along with her husband and Solidad.

May didn't move an inch, allowing herself to get lost in her thoughts. It was true that Ash was a one of a kind person and that she had never met anyone as kind, loving, and warm-hearted as him And sure, she'd had a pretty big crush on him during their journey together but because of the amount of time spent away from each other, she tried so hard to force it away due to them no longer traveling together. And at one point, she'd even convinced herself that she'd succeeded... at least, she thought she did.

With her recent outburst at Drew, May was really looking at who would truly be there for and make her feel special. People that made her happy just by being around them. People who cared for her while expecting nothing in return. And in the end, she could only think of one person that fit this description completely...

Ash.

"_Ughhh, I'm so confused!" _May yelled in frustration. Although she was conflicted with her emotions at the moment, she knew one thing for sure...she desperately wanted to see Ash again.

May shook the thoughts out of her head for the time being before deciding to do something that, regardless of how confused she was with her feelings, would make her happy.

May had a huge smile on her face as she spoke to herself while pulling the Terracotta ribbon out of her pocket and looking at it, "Well... looks like I'm heading to Pallet Town."

* * *

__Twinleaf Town, Sinnoh Region__

Twinleaf Town was small and peaceful, very much like that of both Littleroot and Pallet Town. Many of the residents would enjoy the warm afternoon air that seemed ever present in this little town on their porches. It was always so peacefully quiet here and that was something that people loved about it.

However today, nobody was out on their porches. Nobody was enjoying the afternoon sun. Instead, all were inside, no one daring to miss what some were calling 'the battle of a lifetime' because of the rivalry the two competitors shared. Two elite level trainers battling it out was something that everyone, everywhere could enjoy.

To say that Twinleaf Town was peaceful and quite on this day would be a blatant lie solely because of one resident's house in particular.

"Come on Ash, I know you can do it! Keep it up! I know you'll win!" These were the shouts of a particularly bubbly and happy blunette by the name of Dawn Berlitz as she watched the match upstairs in her bedroom. Her friends were running late, so she'd opted to watch the battle in her room until they arrived.

Johanna, Dawn's mother who was stationed in the family room, also watching Ash's match, sweat dropped at her daughter's over the top enthusiasm. Kenny and Leona, Dawn's childhood friends, had just arrived as Dawn continued cheering loudly in the early stages of Ash's battle.

Johanna let Dawn's friends in the house and called to her, "Dawn, your friends are here. Now come down here so we can all watch Ash's battle together.

Johanna knew that Ash and Dawn were best friends who always supported each other, but when Dawn came down the stairs, to say that she was surprised would be an understatement.

Dawn shyly walked down the stairs of her house wearing a larger, but...skimpier version of the cheerleading outfit she'd worn for Ash's gym battles back in Sinnoh. Johanna's jaw hit the floor when she saw her daughter in a less than prude cheerleader outfit. However she soon recovered and smiled at her daughter, knowing that she was doing this just to support the person she cared about more than anyone, her best friend... even though he couldn't see her.

Kenny's jaw dropped as well, but for a different reason. He quite literally couldn't take his eyes off of her. His less than subtle crush on Dawn was even more apparent than usual as a bit of drool made its way out of his mouth while watching her descend the stairs.

Leona was the only one that didn't seem surprised by Dawn's outfit. With herself and Dawn being so close, she knew all about how Dawn had worn a cheerleading outfit to cheer for Ash's when he had a big battle. For her, this wasn't out of the ordinary in any way.

Buneary followed behind Dawn in a similar outfit, which earned a giggle from Johanna and Leona.

As Dawn approached her mother, Johanna turned her attention to her tentative looking daughter.

"H-Hey mom. Hey you guys." It was obvious just from the tone of her voice that Dawn was embarrassed about her mother seeing her dressed like a cheerleader in support of her closest friend. Johanna tried to stifle her laughter, but she just couldn't. Dawn looked at her mother with a mixture of embarrassment and anger.

"MOM! I'm doing this to support my __BEST__friend. He has a chance to win a pokemon league here!" Dawn exclaimed, red faced.

Kenny flinched a little as he was broken out of his stupor when Dawn began to speak. He thought of Dawn as his best friend and it hurt that it seemed she didn't think the same.

Johanna finally settled down after a good-hearted laugh at her daughter's embarrassment, "Oh honey, I know and may I say that you look absolutely beautiful in that outfit."

Johanna was right about that. Dawn had also matured quite a bit. She, like May, had turned into a beautiful young woman. Her cheerleading outfit showed off her toned midriff as well as her long legs. Her blue hair was a bit longer than it used to be and that amounted to Dawn caring for it even more so than in the past. Although Dawn's chest was not as big as May's, she was very happy with what she had. The real head turner in Dawn's case was her perfect, large rear. Years of training alongside her pokemon had left her in great shape. All in all, Dawn was absolutely gorgeous and no one could dispute that.

Dawn couldn't help but smile at her mother's kind words as she felt her nervousness begin to melt away. That is, until her mother spoke again.

"And I think that it is so sweet of you to dress up for your boyfriend's big match. I'm sure he would really love it if he could see you." Dawn's face reddened at her mother's words. Kenny's face also went red, but with anger.

Leona just giggled to herself, knowing that if the opportunity presented itself, Dawn would get together with Ash in a heartbeat, even if she would deny it.

"Mom! You know he's not...,my..." Dawn was too embarrassed to even finish her sentence.

"In that case,_ I would love to date him. From what I've seen and heard about him, he seems amazing." _Leona said dreamily. Even though there was a hint of truth behind her teasing, she would never do such a thing because she knew that Dawn had feelings for Ash, even if she wouldn't admit it.

"You would not!" Dawn shot a glare at her friend, becoming very defensive over Ash for some reason. Seeing the shock on the faces of her company, she realized what she'd just said and done.

The look of shock on Leona's face morphed into a smirk as she watched Dawn's face turn bright red, "Don't worry Dawn, I won't steal your boyfriend. It's cute how defensive you are over him though!"

For a long time, it was obvious to Leona and Johanna that Dawn had feelings for= Ash, even if she wouldn't admit it yet.

"Ash is not my...boyfriend." Dawn said in a shy voice, barely audible to those around her.

Even though her voice was hardly full of confidence, Kenny still calmed down a little when he heard her say this.

Johanna continued to smile at her daughter, deciding to stop the teasing for now "Whatever you say dear. Let's just go back to watching the match."

Everyone nodded in agreement as they sat and resumed watching the biggest battle of Ash's career, which was just entering it's final match up; Torterra Vs. Pikachu.

Dawn couldn't help but stare at Ash during his battle. She hadn't seen him in person in nearly three years and had only talked to him on the phone one time over that period. With people traveling around so much in this world of theirs, it was hard to find where the person you wanted to call was at any given time. Dawn and Ash were not immune to this problem. She longed to see him again but didn't know when it would be a good time.

_"___What if he's changed...___" _Dawn thought to herself, but quickly shook the idea out of her head. Even if Ash did change, it could only be for the better. This was Ash she was talking about after all.

Right before Ash called for the final iron tail that would ultimately knock out Torterra, Dawn jumped up and began cheering...loudly.

"You can do this Ash! Kick his butt! You're the best there is!" Dawn screamed as if Ash might be able to somehow hear her if she was loud enough.

Kenny was feeling a mixture of anger, jealousy and sadness over how much Dawn supported Ash. For a long time now, he'd had a feeling that she might like Ash as more than just a friend, and this day was just another that continued to back up his suspicions.

With Dawn obviously caring so much for Ash, with it being more evident today than ever before, Kenny decided that he would have to make his move today if he even stood a chance at winning Dawn's heart. Dawn talked about Ash in some way or another pretty much everyday, and today was a more extreme example of that. This, along with all that has happened in the past is what finally motivated Kenny to act.

As the referee announced Ash as the winner, the whole room burst into ear splitting cheers, although Kenny's were noticeably quieter.

"He did it! I'm so proud of him! He's finally one step closer to his dream!" Dawn screamed out as she danced around with Leona. Johanna even joined in at one point smiling with her daughter and her good friend. The only one absent was Kenny. He didn't hate Ash by any means, but he was a rival for Dawn's heart, and that was all he could think about at the moment.

Kenny mustered up all of his courage and approached Dawn who was still jumping around in joy, "Umm, Dawn?" Hearing this, Dawn calmed down for a moment and looked to Kenny. "Can I talk to you for a sec."

Dawn was wondering why Kenny had picked now of all times to talk about something and was slightly annoyed that he'd cut her celebration short but sensing that it was something serious, she simply shrugged her shoulders and sat down on the couch. All the while, both her mother and Leona continued bouncing around and celebrating in happiness.

Kenny took a deep breath and began to speak, "Dawn, we've known each other for a long time and we're pretty good friends, right?"

"Umm, yeah..." Dawn said, uncertain as to where Kenny was going with this.

Hey took another deep breath. "Dawn, I-I'm just gonna say it. I've liked you for a really long time and I think that you might like me, so... willyoubemygirlfriend?" Kenny said the last part very quickly. Despite this, Dawn still heard his words.

She went slack jawed as even her mother and Leona stopped dancing around once they heard the man's words. Dawn knew that Kenny'd had a huge crush on her for a long time, but he'd never acted on it, and that was how Dawn liked it.

She thought of Kenny as a friend and nothing else. To be honest, Dawn was a bit uncomfortable with Kenny's obsession over her. She had caught him staring at her multiple times from his house next door, as their windows to their rooms were adjacent to each other and it kind of freaked her out. Despite all of this, herself and Kenny had been good friends for a long time and Dawn didn't want to just throw that away. But with what Kenny just said, it was obvious that nothing would ever be the same between them after this.

Kenny stared at Dawn, hope and desperation filling his eyes, waiting for Dawn to speak, "Kenny I...I don't know what to say. I'm flattered... but... I don't feel the same way. I only see you as a friend and that's all I will ever see you as. I'm sorry."

Kenny's heart broke immediately. He'd really thought he at least had _some_ chance but now, all hope was squashed. For some reason, instead of feeling sad, all Kenny felt was anger. He needed someone to blame and that blame fell on the only person he could think of at the moment...

Ash Ketchum.

Kenny's face turned dark and his voice level dropped very low, "It's Ash isn't it?"

His voice was so low that Dawn couldn't hear it, "What, Kenny?"

By now, Kenny had blown past his boiling pint, "Don't play dumb with me! I said, it's Ash isn't it? That's why you don't like me, because you already like him! Huh Dawn? Is that it?"

Dawn, Leona and even Johanna were a little scared at how aggressive Kenny was acting, but Dawn, through a red blush, managed to speak. "I-I don't know what you're talking abou-"

Kenny cut off Dawn, "Oh cut the crap. It's obvious to anyone with two eyes and a brain that you have feelings for Ash, even when you haven't seen him in what... three years? How can you still like somebody after that long? I have been by your side that whole time and you don't like me? Dawn I love you! You have to love me back!"

Dawn was now completely terrified. She had never seen this side of Kenny before. "Kenny, that's not it... I-I just don't like you in that way."

"Well then, I'll just have to make you love me!" Kenny howled aggressively.

He quickly forced Dawn up off of the couch and pulled her into a kiss. Dawn's eyes became wide as she immediately pulled away and slapped Kenny as hard as she could in the face. This seemed to break Kenny out of his blind rage and make him realize what he'd just done. He looked at Dawn, who was now crying, and knew that he'd messed up big time

He looked over at Leona who appeared to be frightened and then at a fuming Johanna. It didn't take long for his eyes to land back on Dawn.

"I-I'm sorr-" Kenny was silenced with a hand from Dawn.

Through her tears, Dawn spoke. "Don't. I thought you were my friend, but then you do something like this. How could you? Just because I don't want to be your girlfriend?! I can't even look at you right now. Just...go."

"But-" Kenny tired to butt in, but couldn't.

"GO!" Dawn screamed through her tears of both fear and sadness. Kenny realized any attempt to talk to her right now would be pointless so he opted to take his leave.

Dawn sat back on the couch after Kenny left and cried. Both Johanna and Leona sat on either side of her, each placing a reassuring hand on each shoulder.

Dawn intended to sit and cry until, somehow, she would feel better. But Ash apparently wouldn't allow that, even if he was in another region. Dawn was forced to slow her tears when she heard her name coming from the television. She looked toward the TV and saw Ash standing on a podium, obviously giving a speech. Dawn listened intently.

_"___Next up is Dawn Berlitz. An excellent coordinator who I'm sure all of you have heard of. We met by total accident and I couldn't be happier that we did. Like May, I like to think I helped her along but really, she never needed my help. She was amazing from the start."__

Ash's words seemed to cheer her up instantly as her tears stopped and a wide smile formed on her face. She couldn't help but smile and blush a little at Ash calling her amazing on live TV. It baffled Dawn that Ash could always help her, even when he was in a completely different region.

_"___-When I talk about her, I get so incredibly happy because she is just such a great person. I don't know when we will see each other again, but I hope it's soon"__

Ash said that last part looking directly at the camera, making Dawn feel as if he was actually talking to her, filling her with absolute joy. A smile was plastered on her face and wasn't leaving anytime soon. This didn't go unnoticed by Johanna, who was formulating an plan in her mind.

"Go to him." Johanna spoke softly to her daughter.

"Huh?" Dawn's responded, so lost in her happiness that she hadn't heard her mother completely.

"I said, go to him. Go and visit him in Pallet town and congratulate him in person. I don't care if you like him as more than a friend or not, it's obvious that he makes you happy, and you need to be happy right now. And plus, I'm sure that Ash will be ecstatic to see you." Johanna responded with a smile.

Dawn couldn't help but blush again at thinking about Ash and her being more than friends. She then pondered the idea of visiting him. In all honesty, there was no reason not to go see him. She knew he would go to Pallet Town to see his mother after this journey and she desperately wanted to see him again. It took only seconds for her to decide.

"You're right, Mom. I'm going to Pallet Town to see Ash!" By now, her tears were gone and the only thing that filled her eyes now... was hope.

* * *

**A/N: There it is guys! The first chapter of "A Trial of Will". I hope you all enjoyed it. This chapter was more of a set up. Next chapter we will meet up with our gang in Pallet town and get our first taste of some Team Rocket action. Don't worry, eventually this fic will have a good bit of action in it as well as romance. Also, this story will contain character death so be aware of that. Anyway, please stay tuned and make sure to catch the next chapter of "A Trial of Will"**

**Thanks guys and See Ya!**


	2. Reunited and First True Threat

****A/N: Hey guys and welcome back to the second chapter of "A Trial of Will!" This chapter will have a taste of what is to come in the future with Team Rocket. So R&amp;R my friends and thank you!****

****Misty: 19****

****Paul:19****

* * *

__Indigo Plateau, Kanto Region__

The sun was beginning to set over the plateau as the group of friends, Paul included, made their way toward the hotel they were currently residing in. When they first attempted to leave the stadium, they were swarmed by reporters and had to fall back into the locker room. But with some clever disguises, and intimidation tactics used by some of Paul and Ash's more 'scary' pokemon, they managed to make their way past everyone with minimal issues.

"So Ash, what's next?" Brock asked, already feeling the excitement that was sure to come with their next adventure.

"Honestly Brock... I don't know. But we have plenty of time to decide. I have the opportunity to take on the Elite 4, but I'm not sure when I should do that, I have a full year after all. So I guess the first thing I should to do is go back to Pallet so I can see my mom and all of my pokemon. I've really missed them. You guys are more than welcome to join me."

"Of course we'll come with you! What else did you expect?" Serena said with a huge smile on her face.

Ash couldn't help but smile in response to seeing Serena so giddy about her wanting to visit his home town. Brock just gave Ash a thumbs, cementing his place in the group for their travels. As for Paul however, he held the same stoic look on his face it did most of the time.

Seeing this, Ash's first assumption was that Paul was feeling bitter for being beaten. Ash understood how hard it had to be to lose that battle because, like himself, Paul had been so close to victory on numerous occasions. Now, the Indigo league was just another check mark in Paul's box of 'should have been's'.

Though, Paul had changed and Ash knew that wasn't the kind of person he was anymore. He shook away the idea that Paul didn't respond because he was angry, but instead came to the conclusion that he simply thought that Ash had only directed that question to Brock and Serena.

"Hey Paul, what do you say? You want to come with us to Pallet Town for a while?" Ash asked as nicely as he could.

Paul looked surprised at Ash's words, confirming Ash's latter suspicion. "Really? I thought you were just talking to Brock and Serena."

"I kind of came to that conclusion myself but no, I was talking to you as well. We're good friends and you've never seen my hometown, so I want to give you a reason to. Plus, we would love it if you traveled with us again, even if it's just for a few days!" Ash finished with a smile.

"Ash is right, Paul. You're good company when you want to be. I think you should come along!" Brock added, happy to have the purple haired man with them for a while.

Paul then looked toward Serena with a knowing smirk, waiting for a response. Serena just glared back at him, refusing to budge. However, when she caught Ash's pleading eyes, she just had to give in, "Fine..." Serena spoke in utter defeat, but was happy to know that her saying this would make Ash happy. And as was said before, Paul wasn't _too_ bad

"Well...how can I say no to that? I guess I'm in." Paul said with a small smile of his own.

"Alright, great! You made the right decision Paul, you're going to love Pallet town. It's kind of small, but with professor Oak's lab and all of the pokemon, it's a really great place." Ash said, giddy with excitement from the prospect of seeing all of his pokemon again. He also very much wanted to see how well everyone's training was progressing.

After Ash left Kalos, he finally made the decision to include his older pokemon in his journeys. After a long talk with his friend Gary, he realized it wasn't fair to simply leave his old pokemon sitting at Oak's ranch when all they wanted to do was battle and be by his side.

Not only that, but by using his more experienced pokemon, he was no longer at a disadvantage. Not only were they strong in their own right, but his more experience pokemon were also able to help train new members to the team. This new method had created great success for Ash. Not only that, but himself and all of his pokemon were much happier now that they could spend more time together.

Also following his trials in Kalos, Ash became very serious with his training, _very_ serious. Daily, he would have his pokemon do hours of endurance and strength training as well as improving their moves and attacks.

He was done just cruising by. Ash finally came to realize that unless he started training like a champion, then he'd never even have a chance to become one. And boy, did this mentality work for him in spades.

Ash felt it wasn't fair for him to just command his pokemon and not do anything himself, so he took it upon himself to train alongside his pokemon whenever and wherever possible.

This showing of complete and total care for his pokemon allowed their bonds to grow even stronger than they already were, something many didn't think could even be possible given how strong their relationships already were. Though despite all the good that came from this, these training sessions were sometimes so intense that Ash and his pokemon would end up collapsing in exhaustion in the end.

After almost immediately seeing tremendous gains in not only his Pokemon's physical abilities, but his own as well, Ash decided that he wanted to make it so that all of his pokemon, those currently with him or not, would always be training hard and in the same way as if they were by his side.

And so the next time he was in Pallet Town, Ash spent a number of days with each of his pokemon individually, putting them on specific training regiments that they could do on their own. He spent weeks planning everything out and making sure that each pokemon knew what he wanted from them, but they all knew that it would be well worth it in the end.

Ash did express some worry that some of his lazier pokemon such as Snorlax wouldn't follow through with Ash's plan, but all of those worries were squashed when he returned the next time to see that _all_ of his pokemon were in much better shape. Oak attributed them following through with Ash's plan to the massive amount of respect and trust they have for him. That, on top of their strong desire to succeed, to be the best, motivated them to the max.

"Okay Ash, settle down. We have to walk to Viridian tomorrow, which should only take a few hours and then from there, it's a pretty long walk to Pallet. For now, I think we should just get a good nights rest." Brock reminded him.

"Yeah, that battle was exhausting. I could definitely use a good night's sleep tonight." Ash agreed as all of the others nodded in agreement.

By the time Ash finished speaking, the quartet had made their way through the front doors of the hotel and already reached the stairwell that would lead them to their rooms.

As they arrived at the rooms, Paul separated from the pack to head off to his own room. "I'm going to get to sleep early tonight. It was a long day and that battle really wore me out. I guess I'll see you all tomorrow before we leave."

"Alright Paul, see you tomorrow." Ash said, as everyone waved Paul goodbye. They watched him until he entered his room just down the hall from them.

"Hey do you mind if I come in with you guys for a while? It's only 8:30 and I don't think I can sleep yet with all the excitement of today." Serena requested, really just wanting to spend some time relaxing with her friends, Ash especially.

"Sure thing Serena, come on in!" Ash said as Brock opened the door to the room. After they entered, Brock walked over to the mini fridge, grabbing a water bottle and offering the other two a drink, to which they both accepted.

For the next 2 hours or so, the three friends had a great time conversing about whatever was on their minds. Serena had begged Ash and Brock to tell her more stories from their previous adventures, to which the two happily complied.

They told Serena about how they met Jirachi and the whole story that went with it. To say Serena was surprised would be an understatement. "Okay guys, next time we talk and it's not so late, I expect to hear more of these adventures. They are absolutely incredible; I can't believe you got to experience that! Well...I guess I can given all the things you've told me you've gone through an the fact that we've experience some of them as well."

"Sure thing Seren-AAaahh" Ash said, a yawn overtaking his words, causing Serena to giggle.

"I agree with you there Ash, I'm tired as well. I think it's time we all go to bed. We have to be up early tomorrow if we are going to make good time." Brock said.

Serena took this as her cue to leave and head to her room; Brock and Ash opted to share a room so that Serena could have her own. "Well, I'll see you guys in the morning then!"

"Goodnight Serena!" both Ash and Brock said at the same time. Serena simply smiled in response, but was very tempted to give Ash a goodnight hug. She knew Ash wouldn't mind it, but her shyness took over once again as she abandoned the idea and left the room.

"__Come on Serena. You know you don't have to be afraid of how Ash will react to almost anything you do. He is the sweetest person you've ever met.___" _Serena mentally scolded herself as she approached her own door across the hall. She felt around in her pocket for the key card and face palmed once she realized something.

"How could I forget something that important..." Serena mumbled to herself. She could go down to the front desk and ask for another card, but she really didn't feel like walking down 5 flights of stairs at the moment. She cursed the elevators for being out of order as she tried to figure out what to do next.

_"I bet the guys won't mind if I just sleep in their room tonight."_ Serena shrugged and walked back toward her friend's door. She knocked and patiently waited for an answer.

Although she couldn't have been gone for more than a minute, the exhaustion Ash showed when he answered the door made it seem like he had just been woken up. Serena noticed all of the lights were off except for a small lamp and the one in the bathroom, where she assumed Brock was at the moment.

"What's up, Serena?" Ash asked, a bit of exhaustion evident in his voice. He was already dressed in his pajamas which consisted of a black shirt and a pair of white athletic shorts. It was amazing how fast him and Brock had gotten ready for bed.

"Hey Ash, I uhh...kind of forgot my key card in my room and I'm locked out. I'm way too tired to go downstairs to get a replacement, so I was hoping that-"

"You could sleep in our room?" Ash finished with a knowing smirk.

"Well...yeah." Serena rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. Ash just laughed and motioned for Serena to enter.

"Come on in. You can have my bed, just let me grab a pillow and I'll be fine on the floor." Ash said with a smile.

"Oh no Ash, you take the bed. I'll be fine on the floor." Serena tried to rebut, but was cut off by Ash putting his hand up.

"Serena, what kind of man would I be if I let you sleep on the floor when there is a perfectly comfy bed right here." Ash spoke with gentle kindness. Serena could help but smile at Ash's selfless nature. It was just one of the many, _many_ things she loved about him.

"Thanks Ash. Really." Serena muttered with a smile. Ash just smiled in return and laid out his sleeping bag on the floor at the foot of Serena's bed. Pikachu, long asleep, opted to stay on he comfortable bed which would ultimately house Serena for the night.

"Hey Serena, you probably don't have your pajamas with you, do you?" Ash asked as Serena shook her head. "Okay, well here, take this." Ash said while taking off his shirt and handing it to Serena. All she could do was blush and stutter.

"Ash...w-what are y-you doing?!" Serena questioned shakily. Ash just cocked his head confused.

"I'm giving you a shirt to sleep in. Don't worry, it's clean if that's what you're worried about. I just put it on before you came. I would offer you a different one, but we haven't done laundry in a while and this was my last clean shirt." Ash explained the reasoning behind his action.

Serena'd barely heard a word that Ash had said as she was simply too enamored by the sight of his now shirtless form. Serena just couldn't help staring. All of the training alongside his pokemon had sculpted Ash into a very physically fit young man. It seemed as if there wasn't an ounce of fat on him. His shoulders were broad, his arms looked to be strong and his chest, leading down to his well defined six-pack abs, had Serena completely mesmerized.

In her daze, she had accepted Ash's shirt. She then noticed Ash turned around, facing away from her. His action of turning around is what finally got her to break out of her stupor.

Serena was confused until she heard Ash talk. "Go ahead, Serena, I don't know how long Brock is going to take in the bathroom, and I'm sure you want to get to sleep."

Serena immediately understood what Ash was trying to tell her after hearing his reasoning. He was telling her to change out of her clothes and into the shirt he'd given her. She looked a little embarrassed at first but then proceeded to take off her top and skirt.

As strange as it may sound, Serena found herself almost wishing that Ash would turn around and get a good look of her. After all, Serena was a beautiful girl. Her long, honey blonde hair cascaded down her back and her eyes were a striking blue. Her chest was nearly as large as May's and her rear was quite attractive as well. Serena knew she looked good, but wasn't cocky about it. In fact, if anything, she was shy, sometimes even borderline unconfident. Despite that, she silently hoped that Ash might sneak a peak at her nearly naked form and like what he saw, but she knew that Ash was too much of a gentleman to do something like that; another trait she loved about him.

Luckily for her, Ash was tall, about 6'4", so the shirt was loose on the beautiful blonde and draped down well past her underwear.

"Done." Serena said simply, a happy tone in her voice. For some reason, she felt an incredible amount of comfort and happiness just from wearing Ash's shirt. As she spoke, she managed to get a whiff of the shirt, which she was ecstatic to find out that it smelled like him. At this that explained the feelings of comfort.

Ash took Serena's words as his cue to turn around again. When he did, he couldn't help but notice how great Serena looked in his oversized shirt, his eyes widening slightly and for just a moment.

Despite what many people thought, Ash wasn't completely clueless about girls and could definitely appreciate their beauty. And Ash could safely say that Serena was a very beautiful girl, both inside and out.

Ash gave Serena a smile and was about to lay down on his sleeping bag when he was brought into a hug by Serena. He looked down and saw the top of Serena's head as she rested on his chest. Ash was caught of guard and slightly confused by the act, but he simply hugged back.

After a few seconds, Ash released from the hug and looked at Serena. She thanked Arceus it was dark in the room because if it hadn't been, there would be no way to hide the massive blush currently adorning her face.

"What was that for Serena?" Ash asked, a small smile still on his face from the seemingly random act.

Serena looked down shyly and spoke softly, "It was just... to say... congratulations on today and goodnight."

It was clear that Ash'd accepted the answer as he smiled at her explanation. Serena was relieved that she got away with not saying her true reasoning, only to have this feeling immediately be replaced by shock when Ash moved forward and pulled her into another embrace.

"Well in that case, goodnight to you too, Serena." Ash said, still in the hug.

It wasn't too long before Ash released Serena from the embrace and laid down in his sleeping bag without saying another word. Serena on the other hand, was frozen in place, even after Ash had laid down and closed his eyes.

Ash had just hugged her, embraced her, held her close to him. Even if it was only to say goodnight after she'd done the same thing, it was still something that she was incredibly happy about. It wasn't exactly 'uncommon' for the two to share a brief hug every once in a while, but it was by no means an everyday thing, a thing in which Serena savored every second of; they usually occurred when something more major would occur.

Still frozen in her spot, Serena just couldn't seem to wipe the ear-to-ear grin and blush off her face, only moving again when Brock finally walked out of the bathroom.

Serena was worried Brock might infer something because he was so perceptive and she was still blushing heavily. Luckily for her however, it seemed that Brock hadn't even noticed Serena as he walked like a zombie to his bed, plopped himself down on it and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Serena mentally sighed in relief and laid down herself, a small, but still joyous smile still etched in her face. She knew now, especially after what she was feeling during that hug, that she had to tell Ash how she felt about him soon. With images of herself and Ash together playing in her mind, she drifted peacefully to sleep.

* * *

__Petalburgh City, Hoenn Region__

"Please May! Please!" Max begged his sister.

"I said NO Max, I want to go see Ash by myself. You can go visit him another time." May retorted. Max had heard of May's plan to go to Pallet Town and he had been begging to come along for nearly three hours now. Frankly, May was getting tired of it.

"But May, I want to congratulate him on his big win too! It's not fair!" Max huffed.

Even though he was 14 now, he still sometimes acted like a young child. At this point, Caroline had over heard the two arguing. In fact, she had been listening to them arguing for what seemed like forever. She couldn't take anymore, so she was preparing to walk between the two siblings with the intention of placating both sides.

By this point, May and Max were face to face. May used to use this tactic all the time back when Max was only 7 but now, he was 14, and also slightly taller than her. May stood about 5'8" and Max was slowly closing in on 5'9".

May had a feeling that her looming intimidation wouldn't work anymore, but that didn't stop her from trying. Finally, the two were separated by their mother.

"Alright, you two, I've had enough of this! May, will you let Max go if he promises to not get in the way of anything you and Ash do?" Caroline questioned her daughter.

"Hmph...I guess so... But he has to promise! And if he does get in the way then he has to go home." May argued, finally relenting.

Caroline looked at Max to see if he agreed to the terms. Max had a big smile on his face. "Yes, that sounds fine with me. Thank you May! Thank you!" Max ran up and hugged his sister.

May couldn't help but smile as she hugged her little brother. No matter how much they fought and argued, they still loved each other very much. "No problem Max. just make sure you keep up your end of the deal. This is still _my _trip after all." Max nodded his head in agreement as he broke off the hug.

"Well, looks like my work here is done." Caroline said satisfied. "Now you two better get packing and then get to bed. You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow."

Both siblings nodded their heads and ran up the stairs to their rooms. Even though their ferry wasn't leaving in the early morning, they still wanted to be well rested for the day of travel they had ahead of them.

As the two reached the second floor, Max followed May into her bedroom. As they entered the room, May took notice of her brother.

"Max, why are you following me?" May asked, much more patient now that she had cooled down from earlier.

Max rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he responded, "Well...I kind of already packed. I just assumed that I would eventually convince you to let me come. Looks like I was right. Hehe..."

May looked at her brother with just a hint of anger, but shrugged it off, realizing that another fight wasn't worth it at the moment. "And now, I have nothing to do until I get tired, so I thought I'd help you pack, May."

May smiled at the gesture and allowed Max to put away the clothes she would hand him. However, she stopped abruptly when she saw a certain item on her bedside table... her half of the terracotta ribbon. She typically always kept it on her person, but had put it up in her room a few hours after Ash had won the Indigo League as she had changed into different clothes to lounge in. She always kept it on her not only as a good luck charm, but as a way to always feel close to Ash, her best friend.

Now however, she couldn't help but feel even more attached to the ribbon than ever before, and that was really saying something given how powerfully she felt connected to the ribbon already. She stared at it for a while, trying to figure out just what had changed, or if it had always been like this and she just had never noticed it before. After a while of thinking, she finally decided to attribute it to the fact that she was finally getting to see Ash again after nearly 4 years, even despite the lack of confidence she had behind her reasoning...

She thought she was just giddy and excited to see her best friend again after so long and felt as if the ribbon represented everything that was Ash. But that still didn't seem right. It still felt as if it meant...more.

A lot more

May was broken out of her sentimental gaze by her brother, "May are you just going to stare at that ribbon all night or are you going help? After all this is __your__stuff we're packing."

May blushed and quickly grabbed the ribbon and slipped it into her pocket, walking over to help Max so that they would be ready for their full day of travel.

Both Max and May felt extremely giddy and excited about tomorrow and both doubted they would get any sleep that night. It felt like they were young kids again and it was Christmas Eve. May particularly doubted she'd ever been looking forward to anything more in her life.

They could not wait to see Ash.

* * *

__Twinleaf Town, Sinnoh Region__

"Dawn, dinner's ready!" Johanna called to her daughter. Almost immediately, Dawn burst out of her room and ran down to the kitchen.

"Thanks mom! It smells great!" Dawn explained with vigor. Johanna smiled at her daughter.

"Well, since you're leaving tomorrow, I decided to make your favorite meal." Johanna turned on her best french chef voice as she presented the platter. "Tonight we have the fried chicken and mashed potatoes along with chocolate chip ice cream for dessert."

By now, Dawn was salivating. Even though she wasn't known for her eating like Ash and May were, Dawn felt that with this food, she could easily keep up with her two friends. She sat down across from her mother and began to dig in.

"Mom this is delicious!" Dawn exclaimed between bites, still keeping her table manners.

"I'm glad you like, it sweetie. So, are you excited for tomorrow? I still can't believe how lucky you are to have gotten one of the last tickets to Kanto for tomorrow's ferry. I also bet you're happy that I made you wait a while to start your journey now huh? If I hadn't, then you never would have met Ash" Johanna beamed a bright smile. It all just seemed like one big play of fate.

Dawn nodded her head in agreement, "Yeah mom, I really am. I can't remember the last time I've been this excited. It's almost like tomorrow is Christmas or something. I really can't wait to see him again after so long. I mean, I haven't even talked to him on the phone in over a year and a half." Dawn appeared to become a bit melancholy toward the end her statement.

Johanna looked confused. "Why haven't you two been talking?"

Dawn gave a sad smile, "With both of us traveling all the time, it's hard to know where he is so I can call him. If only someone would invent some kind of mobile phone, they would become a billionaire!" Dawn exclaimed.

Johanna nodded her head in both understanding and agreement. "Well, at least he never forgets your birthday. Every year, there's always a card waiting for you, whether you are here or not."

Dawn had a dreamy smile on her face as she thought of Ash's kindness. "Yeah, Ash is the best isn't he?"

Dawn meant this to be a totally innocent question, but her mother gave her a sly smirk. She saw this and scoffed, she was getting too tired to deal with this.

"Oh shut up." Dawn said, realizing how she must've sounded.

Despite the teasing nature of the last few things said, there was something that Joanna really wanted to talk to Dawn about, and now seemed like the perfect time.

"Dawn, you know how highly I think of Ash. From what I've seen and heard from you, he's the best kind of person this planet has to offer. He would give his own life to save anyone he cares about and that's an incredible thing." Dawn followed her mothers words, happy to be hearing them, but still wondering why she was saying this things. Joanna recognized her daughter's confusion and addressed it. "I'm saying this because I want you to know that if you ever do think that you might have feelings for him, that you want to be with him, then I am 100 percent okay with it. I have no doubt in mind mind he will protect you and treat you like you deserve. If I'm being honest, I think he's absolutely perfect for you, Dawn."

Dawn began blushing halfway through her mother's long winded speech, but it only intensified near the end. "Mom, I-I don't like Ash that way. If anything, he's like an... an older brother to me!"

Dawn spoke, not even half-believing what she was saying. Her mother also knew not to believe her words.

The way she would speak about him, the way she acts with him. Johanna had no doubt in her mind that her daughter harbored deep feelings for the boy, she just hadn't fully realized them yet and was clearly slightly embarrassed about it. In all honesty, Johanna hoped that she would become more confident of her feelings while she was visiting him.

Like Norman and Caroline, Johanna considered Ash to be like a son. After all the times he had risked his life to save Dawn's and how well he treated her, how could she not feel that way? She knew that if Dawn and Ash were together, then her daughter would always be happy, and she desired that more than anything else in the world.

After the pair finished their ice cream dessert, as well as a bit of small talk, Dawn excused herself back up to her room to continue packing. She also had to plan out the route she was taking from the port in Viridian to the actual city of Pallet. Kanto was an unknown territory for her as for some reason, her journey had yet to bring her there.

She shrugged as she headed to her dresser to resume packing. However, before she could, her eye caught a framed picture. It was a photo of herself, Ash, and Brock, taken immediately after she had won her first contest back in Sinnoh. She was incredibly proud of herself that day and knew that Ash was even prouder.

Seeing this, she allowed her mind to drift back to the times when they were all together, traveling around Sinnoh. So often did she find herself regretting ever leaving Ash in the first place to go to Buneary's photo shoot, but she knew she couldn't have taken that opportunity away from her pokemon; sometimes life just brought people apart. But that didn't matter anymore because soon, they would be together again. And honestly, she hoped they would never be apart again.

"I'll see you soon" Dawn whispered as she rubbed her hand over the picture.

* * *

__Indigo Plateau, Kanto Region__

"Serena. Hey Serena, it's time to wake up." Ash nudged her softly.

Serena started moving around slightly and slowly opened her eyes to see the smiling face of Ash. Upon seeing this, she couldn't help but smile herself. She was still tired, but she forced herself to sit up.

She immediately noticed the bathroom door was closed and the shower was on, obviously meaning that Brock was in there at the moment. Ash on the other hand, looked like he had been up for hours.

This was no surprise to Serena, however, because ever since Ash'd started training with his pokemon, he would wake up hours before everyone else to train in order to be more efficient with his time. Serena couldn't believe how far he'd come from the person that slept like a Snorlax to the dedicated training machine he was now.

"It's time for us to start getting ready." Ash told Serena. "Oh and by the way, after I was done training, I got another key to your room. I hope you don't mind but I took some of your clothes so that I could wash them for you. Seeing as how I was already doing mine, I decided to do yours and Brock's as well." Ash handed Serena the new key card to her room.

"Wow, thanks Ash. That was really sweet of you." Serena said, successfully hiding a small blush on her face as she accepted the key card. She just loved how thoughtful Ash was, one of many things she loved about him.

"It was my pleasure, now you better go shower and change because we're leaving here in twenty minutes." He reminded Serena, who nodded in response as she got out of bed and walked toward her own room across the hall.

Ash had already been showered and changed long before anyone was awake, so now he just had time to think to himself. Now that he was at the end of yet another journey, his mind drifted to his previous adventures with all of his old friends, as it often did. He really hoped that he'd done them all justice with what he'd said about all of them in his speech the other day.

His friends were the most important people in his life, save for his mother of course, and he wanted to make sure that what he said about them was able to show just how amazing they each are.

He then let his mind wander to all of his female traveling companions. How with the majority of them, he had inadvertently destroyed their bikes during their first meeting. He didn't regret it, however, because each one of those destroyed bikes lead to a lasting friendship that he would never forget.

"_Hmm... I should definitely see if I can find where they are when I get back home. I haven't talked to May or Dawn in a while now."_Ash said to himself. Him and Misty had been able to stay in more constant contact as she was usually stationary as the Cerulean City Gym leader.

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded his head in agreement.

Ash continued to think about his past adventures until his train of thought was broken by both the bathroom door opening, exposing a fully clothed Brock, and the main door of their room opening, showing a freshly dressed Serena.

"So, you guys ready to go yet?" Ash asked with mock impatience in his voice.

Brock scoffed, "Ash, not everybody gets up at 5am like you. Sorry for actually needing sleep like normal people." Ash shook his head and laughed at his friends rebuttal. His training schedule wasn't exactly 'pleasant', but it was extremely beneficial in the long run.

"Well we'd better head out, we've got quite a bit of walking to do if we want to get to Viridian and make it about halfway to Pallet by tonight." Serena reminded her friends.

Both men nodded their heads and followed Serena out of their room, making sure that they weren't leaving anything behind. Meeting Paul in the lobby, they began their long trek.

Not long into their travels, Serena asked why they hadn't just flown to Pallet town. Ash had plenty of flying types he could send over and he even had his Charizard in his party at that time. However, Ash had opted to walk, reminding his friend that the journey is always better than the destination, even if said destination was his hometown, to which Brock agreed.

Serena saw his point and was now happily walking down the trail.

__11 hours later, Post Forest__

"Can we please, please stop now Ash, we have been traveling since 10 this morning, and my legs are screaming at me." Serena pleaded. Brock silently agreed.

Even though he had more travel experience than Serena, this was still a LONG day. Even Paul had wanted to stop. His usually stoic expression was replaced with one of utter exhaustion.

Even Ash looked tired at this point, despite his superb conditioning. "Yeah, I think it's a good idea to stop for the night."

"Yeah and plus, we made it way further than we thought we would today. I'd say we're only about a three hours walk from Pallet. I say we leave early tomorrow, around seven, and get to Ash's house early. What do you think guys?" Brock questioned. Ash eagerly nodded his head and even though Serena was not known to be a morning person, she looked excited at the prospect of getting to Pallet early.

"Alright, then lets set up camp. Ash, Pikachu, I need you to get some fire wood. Serena, can you get me some water from that stream over there for the stew? Paul just...hang here with me" Brock commanded his friends kindly. All nodded in response and went to do their respective jobs.

After both Ash and Serena returned, Brock and Paul had already set up all four tents and were patiently awaiting both the firewood and the water in order to start the very late dinner.

The food was prepared quickly. Ash had four helpings and even Brock, Serena and Paul went back for seconds after the long day of traveling.

After dinner, the quartet prepared for bed. Brock disappeared into his tent for the night after wishing the others a good nights rest. Paul followed Brock's actions soon after. Ash also retreated into his tent. Serena was about to head into her tent as well until she saw Ash coming back out, his sleeping bag under his arm. Serena was curious as to what Ash was doing.

"Hey Ash, why are you bringing your sleeping bag out here?" Serena questioned.

Ash smiled warmly as he responded. "I'm going to sleep outside tonight. I mean, look at that sky. The stars are amazing right now."

Serena followed Ash's gaze up to the sky. It truly was a magnificent sight to behold. Thousands of stars, shining brightly in the dark abyss of night. This was the great part about being near such a small city such as Pallet town; there was almost no pollution in the air and it seemed that it was a cloudless night. It was almost as if Arceus was presenting its most beautiful artwork to the two companions.

Ash watched Serena enter her tent and assumed that she was going to bed for the night. He laid down his sleeping bag and was about to enter when Serena came back out, her sleeping bag in her arms. Ash couldn't help but smile at this, it was always great to have company.

"Mind if I join you?" Serena asked playfully.

"By all means." Ash responded. With that, Serena placed her sleeping bag next to Ash's.

Only about a foot and a half separated the two bags, but neither minded in the slightest. The two entered their cozy beds for the night and began gazing at the stars. By now, Pikachu was already asleep inside Ash's sleeping bag.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Ash asked, his eyes shimmering with amazement as he stared at the night sky.

"Yeah...it is..." Serena agreed looking between the stars and Ash.

"Do you know why I love the stars so much? Ash questioned. Serena shook her head. "It's because they always keep you tied to people, even when you aren't with them."

"What do you mean." Serena couldn't exactly understand what Ash was talking about.

"Friends often have to part ways because not everyone has the same path in life. It's awful, but just because the person isn't around doesn't mean they're no longer your friend. I've had to part ways with many of my closest friends and it's just as hard every time, but I get comfort when I look at the stars. No matter where you may go, wherever you may be, the stars remain the same...as they were when we were together." Ash finished with a smile on his face, feeling very sentimental on this night.

Ash continued staring at the stars as Serena's mouth went agape, tears forming in hers eye. She couldn't believe that something so...deep had come out of Ash. He was many things, but Ash was no poet. Serena could only guess that his friends really did bring out the best in him. She stared at Ash more as she spoke with a tear trickling down her cheek.

"Ash...t-that was just...so beautiful." Serena said, her voice full of awe, amazed by what Ash'd just said.

Ash shrugged in response. "I'm just speaking the truth; what I feel. Even if we were ever to part Serena, I know that we would never lose the friendship that we've created together, and that makes me really happy... Well, goodnight, Serena."

Serena's face visibly saddened at the thought of going separate ways with Ash, even though she had no intentions of doing so anytime soon.

She did find great comfort however, by thinking like Ash in this moment. Their friendship, their relationship, everything they shared, it was forever, and nothing could ever change that.

Noticing Ash had already fallen asleep, clearly exhausted from the long day of traveling just as she was, Serena silently moved her sleeping bag until the sides of both hers and Ash's bags were touching.

Serena then closed her eyes and eventually fell asleep with a soft, immovable smile etched on her face.

__The Next Morning__

Brock awoke with a start at the sound of the alarm on his pokegear ringing loudly. He groggily sat up from his sleeping position and reached for the device. Holding it close to his eyes so he could see in his sleepy state, he saw that it read exactly 7 a.m.

Brock groaned as he got up and began getting ready for the day. He was normally a morning person, but after yesterdays twelve hour walk, he was spent and definitely needed a better nights rest than what he could get in a tent and sleeping bag.

Brock, now fully dressed, exited the tent with his plan being to wake up his three companions and then begin breakfast for everyone. As Brock rose up to standing position once out of the tent, he rubbed the last of the sleepiness out his his eyes and took in his surroundings.

It was nothing short of a beautiful day. The sun was uninterrupted in the sky by clouds, making the temperature comfortably warm. Brock noticed flocks of Pidgys and Pidgiottoes and even a few Pidgeots here and there. He then let his eyes wander to his sleeping companions.

Brock's typically squinty eyes widened when he saw Ash and Serena still sleeping. Sure, it was weird seeing Ash sleeping later than anyone these days, but that wasn't what wasn't the strangest part, not by a long shot. The strange thing was that Serena was sleeping with her head and one hand laid on Ash's chest.

To Brock, Serena's feelings for Ash had been obvious since the moment he'd met her, but he didn't think she would do this...

"_unless something happened between the two of them?"_ Brock attempted to rationalize what he was seeing in front of him.

Brock shook off that idea quickly, however as he knew Serena was way too shy to admit her feelings, at least for the time being.

Brock chalked the situation up to Serena moving around in her sleep, doing so unconsciously.

It was at this time that Paul left his tent as well, immediately noticing the position of Ash and Serena. His eyes widened at the scene and he had to stifle back a laugh as he looked towards Brock.

Brock knew exactly what was running through Paul's mind in that moment, and he needed do whatever he could to stop him from acting on what he knew he was planning on doing.

Brock quickly shot Paul a hard look that screamed, 'don't you dare'. Paul simply grinned back maniacally, which was definitely not a good sign. Seeing that there would be no verbally persuading Paul to stop, Brock took two steps toward the purple haired man, hoping to get to him before he could do anything. But even despite his best efforts, there was no way he would make it in time.

"Hey! Wake up!" Paul yelled, his hands cupped over his mouth to make the shout louder.

It was exactly as Brock had thought. Paul just loved to tease Serena. Had Brock gotten his way, he would have woken Serena up first, allowing her to get out of the embarrassing situation, but Paul obviously had other plans.

He wanted them both to see the position they were in. Paul just had to mess with Serena, something that 'd become one of his favorite pastimes. All Brock could do now was watch, along with Paul, as the two began to stir from their slumber.

Ash opened his eyes first, not moving from his spot where he was laying as he felt a weight on his chest, something warm. He glanced downward only to be met with the sight of Serena slowly opening her eyes, her head and arm laying on his chest.

Serena finally opened her eyes all the way and wondered for a moment where exactly she was. She looked around slowly, trying to gather her bearings as she. It wasn't much longer before the two locked eyes.

At first, neither registered what exactly was happening, but after a few seconds, both of their eyes widened, Serena's even more so than Ash's, and she moved off of him in a flash.

Paul couldn't help but bellow a huge laugh at the sheer awkwardness of the situation. Ash looked toward Serena, who was blushing fiercely; she looked as if she just wanted to crawl up into a ball and disappear. Seeing how embarrassed she was, Ash glared at Paul, angry at him for laughing at Serena when she was clearly having a hard time at the moment.

"Paul, why don't you shut up and make yourself useful for once. Go get some wood for the fire." Ash spat, venom evident in his voice.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu added just as angrily as his trainer, now fully awake as well.

Paul stopped laughing when he heard his friend's aggressive tone, backtracking once he realized just how mad Ash was about this.

"Look, I'm sorry. I'll go get the wood." Ash could tell Paul was being sincere, but it still wasn't enough.

In Ash's mind, you can say or do whatever you want to him but the second someone hurts a person he cares about, that person is in hot water in Ash's mind, friend or not.

"It's not me you should be apologizing to." Ash gestured to Serena who was looking down and holding her arm, biting her lip, obviously trying to hold back tears.

Seeing this broke Ash's heart and also angered him further. As soon as Paul apologized, he planned to go and comfort her.

"Look, Serena, I'm sorry for laughing. Honestly I am." Paul spoke, meaning every word. He by no means hated Serena, he just liked to mess with her. Sometimes though, he simply didn't know when to stop. Serena kept her head down, but nodded slowly, accepting his apology. Paul then uncomfortably strolled by the beautiful blonde to gather firewood.

Serena had begun audibly sniffling, suggesting she was now crying. With no other thought on his mind besides helping one of the people he held closest to his heart, Ash took off toward her.

"Serena?" Ash asked in the most caring voice he could. "Are you okay?"

She wasn't exactly sure what did it, she guessed just seeing Ash's face, hearing his voice, witnessing just how concerned he was for her. Whatever it was, in that moment, for whatever reason, it made her run. Run as far and fast as she could, away from everyone.

"Serena! Wait!" Ash attempted to chase her, only to be held back by Brock.

"She needs time, Ash. Let her have it." Brock spoke sternly.

Ash looked hesitant, but after a while, he agreed, trusting his older friend's judgement. Pikachu still looked ready to chase her down, but Ash assured him it would be okay.

The two men sat down as Paul reemerged from the forest with wood under both of his arms.

"I don't understand what the big deal is. So she was sleeping on me. Who cares? It's not like it's anything major." Ash thought aloud.

Both Brock and Paul were tempted to tell Ash the reason why it was so embarrassing for Serena, but they both knew that was something that had to be done herself. Both of them wished that Ash would just recognize Serena's feelings, and for him to have feelings for her in return. They knew that if this scenario were to play out, everyone would be happier because of it.

"You know what, I can't take it anymore. I'm going to find her. I can't stand idly by knowing that Serena is in pain." Ash spoke with a fire in his eyes.

Brock was going to try and stop him, but once he saw the intense amount of determination in his friend's eyes, he knew there would be no way to do so.

With that, Ash took off in the direction that Serena had ran to, leaving Pikachu behind.

He wanted to do this himself.

__With Serena__

She ran. She ran for what felt like forever but in reality, couldn't have been more than a couple of minutes. Eventually, she found herself in an open clearing. She didn't know why, but this open space compelled her to sit down and relax. She was in good shape, but sprinting for a number of minutes straight had left her winded.

_"___How could that have happened?! I'm not ready to tell him yet and I know he's going to have questions. There's no way he won't, no matter how dense he is! This can't be happening..."__Serena was now sobbing as her mind ran.

She couldn't control it anymore, it felt as if she was having a panic attack. The only thing that snapped her out of it was the sound of a familiar voice.

"Serena!" She heard a voice that she recognized to be Ash's calling for her. She didn't want to face him right now but after a few moments, she realized that it would be better to just get it over with.

"Serena!" Ash yelled again. Serena could hear the amount of desperation and concern for her in his voice and even despite everything she was feeling, this made her melt, if only for just a moment.

Knowing that Ash would find her eventually, Serena decided it best to simply let him know where she was.

"I'm over here." Serena said, her voice breaking on each word. She doubted Ash would have heard her, but when she saw Ash's Swellow hovering above the clearing, she knew he would find her.

As expected, it wasn't a few moments later that Ash came bursting through the brush at breakneck speed. Again, Serena could tell how worried he was about her just by seeing how fast he was rushing to come find her. This both warmed her heart and made her even more nervous.

"Thank Arceus I found you. Good job Swellow, return." Ash said as he recalled his Hoenn bird. "Now Serena, tell me what's wrong."

Ash made his way over to Serena, sitting closely next to her on the log. She shifted away from the man slightly after he did so, still uncomfortable about what happened, something that further worried Ash. Serena tried to speak, but couldn't seem to find her words when she looked into Ash's caring, concern-filled eyes.

She continued trying to find words, but was saved as she was cut of by Ash. "Listen Serena, if you don't want to talk that's fine, all you have to do is listen. I just want you to be okay." Ash said in the most soothing voice he could muster.

Serena nodded her head, "If what this is about is what I think it is, then it's honestly no big deal, Serena. It's really doesn't matter that we sleep like that. I mean we were pretty close together in our sleep, so you must have shifted and thought I was a pillow. And besides it felt...really nice. I can't deny that it was the best sleep of my entire life." Ash said, a little nervous with a smile on his face.

Serena looked up, her eyes red from crying and smiled at Ash. It seemed like he always knew what to say. And him saying that he enjoyed having her lay with him had really brightened Serena up a great deal. If she was being honest, that was the best sleep she's ever gotten.

She couldn't understand why she'd so afraid of what Ash would say or ask. This was Ash, the kindest, most selfless person she knew. He would never make her explain herself if she was uncomfortable with doing so. Serena once again found herself marveling at just how amazing she found Ash to be.

Ash shot her a smile of his own and brought her into a hug, speaking softly in her ear as they embraced. "Serena, there is nothing you can do or say to me that should make you embarrassed or uncomfortable. I will always be there for you Serena, no matter what. That's a promise." Ash's tone was so soothing to Serena that she instinctually pulled Ash tighter into the embrace, relishing in every second of it.

They stayed like that for almost a full minute before Ash broke the hug, much to Serena's dismay.

Ash grabbed Serena by her shoulders and looked directly into her ocean blue eyes. "Now, are you okay?" Ash asked, the smile never leaving his lips.

Serena smiled back and nodded her head vigorously. Ash then stood up and offered a hand to Serena. She gladly took it but as she was standing up, her shoe lodged itself behind the front side of a rock.

She closed her eyes, waiting for the pain that was sure to come with the impending impact, but it never came. Instead, she found herself in Ash's arms, saved once again...

...much like when they were kids.

Serena even held the same reaction on her face, one of surprise, when she felt herself and Ash in a hug-like position. She backed off of him just slightly and looked up at his face. It had matured, but his eyes still shone as they always had and he still had the same goofy smile that she remembered from all those years ago.

Ash gestured for Serena to follow. As they were walking, Serena finally confirmed what she had all but known for certain for a long time now. This wasn't some silly crush she had... it couldn't be. And the term 'feelings' just didn't do what she actually felt justice, it hadn't for quite a long time. The only reason she hadn't accepted it as fact earlier was because she was afraid of what was to come with it. But there was no way she could deny it anymore, even to herself. What she'd known for a long while was cemented at the forefront of Serena's mind.

More than anything in the world...

She loved Ash Ketchum.

__Back at camp__

Brock and Paul had breakfast ready by the time the two had returned from the forest. Before they ate, Paul apologized to Serena once again, with the blonde woman truly accepting his apology this time. At least for the moment, she would have a hard time staying mad at anyone...

Ash also appreciated the sincerity behind Paul's apology and the two shared a head nod before starting to eat their breakfast. Everyone ate their fair share, packed up and headed off on the final leg of their journey.

Serena was in a much better mood ever since she finally confirmed to herself how deep her feelings for Ash ran. Even though really, she'd known that she'd been in love with Ash for a long time now. That being said, this was the first time she didn't feel embarrassed or scared in recognizing that she was in love with the raven haired man.

The entirety of the trip was filled with past memories, stories and laughter. Even Serena and Paul got along great on this leg of the trip. It seemed like no time had passed at all when the reached the top of the hill that overlooked Pallet Town.

It truly was a beautiful place, overflowing with small town charm. The houses were close together and there weren't many of them, which lead most to assume that everyone probably knew each other here.

At the sight of his home town, Ash's eyes brightened, "It's so great to be home! Race you guys to my house!"

With that, Ash took off running at impressive speeds in the direction of the town.

Paul tried to call to Ash but It was futile, "Wait! Ash! We don't know which house is yours!"

Paul sighed in defeat as both Brock and Serena giggled. "How is this funny to you?"

"Paul, we've both been here a couple times. We know where Ash's house is." Brock said. Though he was being modest. Sure, Serena had only been here 6-7 times but over the years, the number of Brock's visits had reached over 30.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. grumpy." Serena teased while slapping Paul hard on the shoulder.

Paul rubbed his shoulder after the surprisingly hard slap from Serena and followed behind Brock as they started to jog, hoping to catch up with Ash. A few minutes later, the gang caught up with him at the end of the street that his house was on.

"There you guys are! I wanted to wait for you guys so that Paul won't feel weird walking into my house since he hasn't been here before." Ash explained.

"Well if you wouldn't have ran off, then you wouldn't have had to wait for us." Serena scolded teasingly, a playful smile on her face.

Ash rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment at Serena's words, causing him, her and Brock to chuckle.

Paul scoffed at what Ash'd said but internally, he was grateful that he waited. He was sure that Ash had told his mother about how he acted in Sinnoh and didn't know what to expect out of her. He never did treat Ash very well up until about a year and a half ago.

The gang continued down the road and soon came to a modest looking home with a white fence surrounding both the house and a large garden, which clearly wrapped all the way around into the back yard.

Ash took the lead walking up to his front door. He tried to open it, only to find it locked. He sighed and knocked. They heard the pitter patter of footsteps approaching the door, which soon opened revealing a small, pink pokemon.

"Mime! Mime! Mr. Mime!" Mr. Mime exclaimed as he gave Ash a hug.

Ash laughed and returned the gesture. "Hey there Mimey! It's great to see you too." The pokemon recognized Brock, Serena and Pikachu, but he got a bit defensive when he saw the boy with purple hair.

Ash noticed this. "Don't worry Mimey, that's Paul, he's a friend of ours here to visit." Mr. Mime still looked a bit weary, but a smile soon broke out on his face as he accepted the new addition into the household. After they all piled into the home, Ash began searching around for his mother.

"Hey Mimey, do you know where mom is?" The pokemon nodded his head and lead the group out of the living room. They soon found themselves in the kitchen, which housed a door that lead to the backyard. As if on cue, the door from the backyard opened, revealing Ash's mother Delia, wearing a sun hat and gardening gloves.

Her expressing switched from one of surprise to one of absolute joy as she recognized her son and his friends were home. "Oh! My baby boy is home! My little champion!" Delia ran up to give her son a massive hug.

Ash sweat dropped at his mom calling him various embarrassing names like her 'little champion' as he was no not only taller than her by quite a bit, he was also the tallest person in his traveling group. Regardless, he returned the hug, very happy to see his mother. She soon released him and looked up at her son's face.

Delia then looked around Ash and saw both Brock and Serena. She smiled and welcomed the two familiar faces to her home. Then, she noticed the purple haired man standing almost shyly in the background. Ash noticed this and was about to introduce the two when his mom spoke.

"You must be Paul! Ash has told me so much about you." Even though her voice was kind, he paled at the thought of her knowing of how he acted back in Sinnoh. "Oh don't look so nervous honey, I don't bite. And if you're worried about me knowing about how you treated Ash in Sinnoh, the answer is yes, I do."

Paul appeared utterly defeated at this point. That is, until the young mother continued speaking.

"But Ash has told me all about how you have changed over the years and have become one of his good friends and I'm really happy to hear that, Paul. Welcome to our home. Any friend of Ash's is a friend of the entire Ketchum family." Delia finished with a massive smile. She even went as far as to give him a hug.

Paul was rejuvenated by her kind words and actions, grateful that he was accepted and that there were no hard feelings. "Thanks Mrs. Ketchum, it's really great to meet you. And may I say, your home is very nice."

"Why thank you Paul and please, call me Delia." Ash's mother spoke kindly. Paul nodded his head in acceptance.

"You must be starving after all that traveling. Luckily, you got here right at lunchtime. Ash, why don't you and Serena show Paul around while I make lunch. Brock, do you think you could give me a hand with the cooking?" Delia asked politely, knowing very well of Brock's cooking skills.

Brock shot a victory smirk toward Mr. Mime, who looked angry at Brock for gaining a point in their ongoing 'rivalry of chores'. "Of course Delia, I would be happy to."

As Paul, Ash and Serena left the kitchen, Brock and Delia began prepping what would surely be a mouth watering meal.

"Well, might as well start in my room since I need to put away this huge trophy." Ash said while pulling the trophy out of seemingly nowhere.

Paul just sweat dropped and gave Ash a look that said 'really?'

Noticing this, Ash laughed nervously. "Sorry Paul." Serena couldn't help but laugh at the two.

The trio walked into Ash's room and he gave Paul the not so grand tour of it. As the two men prepared to leave, they noticed that Serena hadn't moved from her spot sitting on the edge of Ash's bed.

"Hey Serena, you coming?" Ash asked, both men looking at her expectantly.

Serena shook her head in the negative. "No thanks, Ash. I've already had the tour. While you show Paul around, I think I'll just hang out here if that's alright with you." Ash shrugged his shoulders and continued on the tour with Paul.

Now that Ash was gone, Serena really got a good look at Ash's bedroom. She had seen it many times before, as this was usually the room she would be granted when she stayed here while Ash would get the couch.

She remembered how during her first visit, Serena couldn't help but think that his room looked kind of... childish for aa person of Ash's age at the time. However, she quickly realized just how often Ash even stayed here, which was almost never. He was always out on a journey or something of the sort so it made sense that Ash'd never redecorated his room.

Looking around, Serena stood up and walked over to where Ash kept all of his accomplishments. Framed on his wall was every badge he had ever earned including a double set of badges from Johto, Unova and Kanto. The badges trainers earned were only good for the league the year they obtained them in, meaning that Ash had to re-challenge every gym and earn the badges again if he wanted to compete in a league again.

Above every region's badge set was a picture of him and his traveling companions whom he'd traveled with at the time of obtaining them. She started in Kanto with Brock and Misty, a girl she had heard much about from Ash. After all Ash'd said about her, Serena really hoped to meet her one day; she never became jealous of the redhead's relationship with Ash as he'd made it clear that they thought each other to have more of a brother and sister/best friend only type relationship.

Then, Serena moved on to May and Max, another two people Ash spoke often and highly of. Dawn also fit into this category, Serena recognized as she looked at the picture from Sinnoh. Ash sometimes talked about Iris and Cilan, but not too often. Finally, she reached Kalos, where she'd first reunited with Ash, and met Clemont and Bonnie.

She couldn't help but wonder how those two were doing. After they accompanied Serena and Ash through Johto, along with Brock, they opted to return home so Clemont could open his own inventing workshop. This allowed him to always have all the tools and equipment he needed to invent; a luxury not available while always on the road.

Serena smiled to herself as she thought back to all of the incredible times she had during her journeys with Ash. All of the new friends she made. All of the pokemon she caught. Her Fenniken had opted not to evolve; she simply loved how cute she was in her non-evolved form, but that's not to say she isn't powerful.

Serena'd also caught a Litleo that had evolved into a majestic Pyroar, a Mawile, a Jolteon, an Ariados, a Quagsire, and last but not least, a Sawsbuck. If it hadn't been for traveling with Ash, she doubted that she would have met any of these pokemon that she was lucky enough to call her friends.

"He sure has accomplished a lot, hasn't he?" Delia question, making herself known. The young mother was standing, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed.

Serena jumped in surprise at her sudden arrival before turning to face Delia and nod in agreement. "He sure has. I thought you were making lunch?"

"Well, I was but then Mimey got jealous and now Brock and him are in some kind of cooking war. I really didn't want to be caught in the middle of that." Delia laughed as she spoke.

Serena giggled a bit as well as she returned her attention to the pictures, a soft smile on her face as she looked over them all.

"He's had a big impact on you, hasn't he?" Delia questioned, moving closer to the blonde woman, only stopping when they were side by side.

Serena didn't even hesitate to answer. "More than you could ever know. He's completely influenced the way I've lived my life since we met up again. I'm always happier when I'm around him."

"I'm so happy to hear that, Serena. I'm glad Ash has been such a positive influence on you, and I can tell you for a fact that you've influenced him as well." Delia finished as Serena cocked her head in confusion, not knowing how she'd influenced him particularly. Seeing her confusion, Delia elaborated, "You really helped him grow up. Sure, that credit goes to all of the people he's traveled with, but you took him down the home stretch. Even though he's as reckless as ever, I can honestly say that my little boy is all grown up, and you're a large part as to why that is." Delia finished with a tear in her eye and a proud smile on her face.

Serena felt incredibly warm inside, now knowing that she'd impacted Ash in a big way, just as Delia had said.

Serena then spoke to the young mother, still wearing a soft smile. "You raised a really great son, Delia. I mean it, Ash is a one of a kind person and he only became that way with your guidance."

Delia smiled at Serena's kind words and brought her into a hug. Once the two released Delia spoke up again this time, her smile held a bit of playfulness in it.

"So...have you told him yet?"

Serena blushed heavily at the mother's blunt question. Delia'd insinuated knowing about her feelings for Ash in the past, but this was the first time she'd been so direct with her.

"Is it really that obvious that I have feelings for him?" Serena's voice was adorably shy. There was no use in denying it, especially not now that she was sure that was was madly in love with him.

Delia couldn't help but giggle. "Oh honey, the first time I saw you two together I knew that you had feelings for him."

Serena was still embarrassed, but it was impossible for her to be uncomfortable in Delia's company. "No...I-I haven't gathered the up courage yet, but I hope to be able to do it soon."

"I really hope it works out for you both, Serena." Delia shot her a smile. "Ash has always been quite the ladies man, even if he didn't know it. I always thought that May, Dawn or even Misty would have claimed him over the years, but they all ended up having to split paths. I don't even think Ash has seen May or Dawn in years."

"Did any of the others ever have feelings for Ash?" Serena questioned, feeling a bit jealous.

She couldn't be too jealous though, she realized. Serena rationalized that with neither May nor Dawn had seen Ash in years, it was nearly impossible that any old feelings could still hold true today...Right?

"From what I say, they definitely were at least had some romantic feelings for him. It was extremely obvious to tell. Just the way they spoke about him, how they acted when they were together, it was plain as day." Delia said, recalling all of the clues she'd received from Misty, May and Dawn.

"You mean all of them liked him at some point?" Serena asked, her jealousy growing.

Delia nodded. Sensing the girl's obvious discomfort, the young mother tired to placate her for the time being, "Hey, but I could be wrong. It was just with how they all spoke about him, how they acted when they were around him, it was hard to imagine them not at least having a crush on him."

Serena sighed before returning the soft smile to her face, "I guess I can't blame them. Not in the slightest. Ash really is the most amazing person I have ever met. He's caring, selfless and always puts others before himself. To be honest with you Delia, after everything we've been through together...I-I've come to realize that I'm...that I'm in love with him."

It felt great to actually say the words to someone else. Even though Delia was Ash's mother, she knew that this conversation would never go beyond the two of them. After all, it was hard for Serena not to see Delia as a second mother based on all of their interactions.

Delia squealed loudly in surprise at the revelation, making Serena worry that someone may have heard. Realizing her loudness, Delia brought her voice down to a whisper. "Oh my Arceus, that is so great Serena! I'm so happy for you! I really hope it works out between you two. I think you're absolutely perfect for my AshYou've got my support and approval!"

Serena smiled at her second mother and nodded gratefully. She was so happy to have the support of Ash's mother. Knowing that she had someone so important in Ash's life on her side gave her a tremendous amount of hope that just maybe, things would end up how she wanted them to. Now, all she had to do was find a way to tell Ash that she was madly, deeply in love with him...

"Well, hopefully lunch is ready by now. We should head downstairs and meet up with everyone." The mother of one suggested. Serena nodded her head in agreement, still relishing in the feelings of earlier.

The two women walked downstairs and entered the kitchen to see Ash and Paul conversing at the table, which was littered with different kinds of food. Brock and Mr. Mime battled to see who could clean the kitchen better. But then, they noticed another person. Someone with bright orange hair and an Azuril at her side. Both Delia and Serena immediately recognized her as Misty Waterflower.

"__The girl from the pictures.___" _Serena reminded herself. Since she'd just been looking at said pictures, the redhead's image was still fresh in her mind/ Plus, she remembered Ash having explained what she looked like before whilst telling her a story about his time in Kanto and Johto.

"Misty, it's great to see you again! And so soon too!" Delia exclaimed as she walked over and hugged the young woman. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I didn't think that a simple congratulations over the phone would be appropriate, so I took some time off from the gym so I could come congratulate Ash myself!" Misty said, smiling at Ash. This was also a great excuse to simply spend some time with the person she considered to be her very best friend.

Ash smiled back and nodded before he turned and resumed his conversation with Paul. It was obvious that she'd arrived a while ago and that they'd already had some time to talk to each other and get reacquainted.

"Ash, is this Serena, the girl you've told me so much about?" Misty questioned whilst pointing toward the honey blonde haired girl.

"It sure is! Misty, this is Serena. Serena this is my friend Misty. I'm sure you remember her from some of my stories." Ash introduced the two.

Serena approached Misty and held out a hand while offering a smile, both of which were returned.

The three ladies joined the table and not long after, Brock also joined, sadly abandoning the competition, leaving Mr. Mime as the winner. Of this round, at least...

"This all looks really great!' Paul directed his comment at Delia who put her hands up in defiance.

"Actually, I was kind of kicked out my own kitchen by a... 'battle' these two over here were having. I can't take any credit for this." Delia mentioned while pointing at Mr. Mime and Brock, both of whom were scratching the back of their heads.

"Well then, compliments to the chefs." Paul redirected his praise.

The lunch went on for about 40 minutes. It was full of pleasant conversations and many congratulations to Ash on his win, to which Paul didn't mind much. Sure, he was a little sour that he lost, but at least he lost to a good friend and a worthy opponent whom he knew deserved it.

During this time, Misty and Serena got to talking. With Misty's tomboyish nature and Serena's more girly one, one wouldn't think that they wouldn't get along very well, however, that was not the case here. The two hit it off almost immediately. The more they talked, the more they began to like each other and by the end of the meal, it seemed as if the two had been friends since childhood.

Lunch came to a conclusion with Ash having eaten much more than the others as usual, so it was no real surprise. Everyone complimented Brock and Mimey once more for the excellent meal.

"So Ash, when are you going to train today since you didn't get to this morning?" Brock asked. At the same time, Serena's face went slightly red as she remembered that mornings circumstances.

"Well Brock-O, I was actually thinking of taking the day off." At his words, Serena and Brock's mouths dropped to the floor. From what they knew from traveling around the world with him for so long, Ash hadn't missed a training session in over two years.

Noticing the disbelief on the faces of Brock and Serena, Ash continued. "What? A man can take a break for one day? Even me and my pokemon need a break every once in a while, even if it is only once every couple of years."

"So what are you going to do for the rest of the day them." Serena asked, intrigued as to what the day would be filled with.

"Well, I was going to go to professor Oak's lab and see all my pokemon but I'm feeling pretty tired right now, so I think I'm going to take a nap and either go there later today or tomorrow."

"I must admit, a nap does sound like a pretty good idea right about now." Misty agreed. It seemed that everyone else agreed as well. Seeing as how they would need to work out the sleeping arrangements anyway, they decided to do so right then.

"Brock, Paul, you guys are going to have to share the guest room. Luckily, there's a bunk bed in there, so sleeping shouldn't be a problem. Misty, Serena, are you guys okay with sharing my room?" Ash questioned, hoping that they wouldn't mind.

"Sure, why not." Misty said, perfectly okay with sharing a room.

"But what about you Ash? You shouldn't have to sleep on the couch every time we stay here." Serena pointed out, feeling slightly guilty for taking Ash's bed from him for what felt like the millionth time.

"Don't worry about me Serena, I'll be fine on the couch. I just want you guys to be comfortable." Ash shot a smile to his traveling companion.

Misty and Serena thanked Ash for giving up his room, the latter of which blushing slightly as she did so, and ran upstairs to put their things in said room. Paul and Brock did the same with the guest bedroom, leaving Ash to get comfortable on the couch and fall into his dreams.

* * *

__Somewhere Inside the Forest Separating Viridian and Pallet __

"Damn it Max, you just had to go poking around in the bushes!" May scolded her brother, all the while running full speed toward the exit of the forest.

"I'm sorry May! I just wanted to get a closer look at all of the Kakuna! How was I supposed to know they would all evolve right at that exact moment?!" Max tried to reason with his sister while also sprinting in the same direction.

"Never mind Max, just keep running!" May screamed as a Beedrill got very close to her head. The stinger might have nicked her had she not picked up some speed.

"According to my pokegear, the exit should be right...around...there!" Max yelled, pointing to a break in the dense brush after looking up from his device.

The two siblings made their way out of the forest, thinking that they had gotten away from the Beedrill. That dream was shattered quickly however when 12 angry, albeit low level Beedrill came pouring out of the forest.

"Max! You said they wouldn't leave the forest!" May yelled at her brother.

"They shouldn't have! It must be because they're so young!" Max screamed, grabbing for a pokeball. "Magcargo! I need you!" Max released his fire slug.

May, following her brother's example, sent out her strongest pokemon. "Blaziken! Take the Stage!"

Simultaneously, the two siblings called out to their pokemon, "Flamethrower!"

A hot stream of fire shot out of both Pokemon's mouth's. At least 6 Beedrill were hit by the flames and were burned significantly. Those 6 retreated to mend to their burns while the other six, seeing the other retreat, followed suit.

Both May and Max sighed in relief as the last of the Beedrill disappeared back into the forest. If either one of them had gotten stung, there was a chance that they could've have died before they were able to get to a hospital. Beedrill venom is well known to be fairly potent and has been known to be able to kill a human in just two hours. And with the duo still having about two and a half hours left in their journey, that would not have been good...

"Hehe... sorry about that May." Max nervously attempted to apologize, attempting to avoid his sister's wrath. Luckily for him, she seemed too tired to want to hit him at the moment.

"It's...okay, Max. Just...stop being...such an idiot... all the time." May said, regaining her breath. Max was going to retort, but ultimately decided that it was better to be insulted then be hit by his sister, who definitely packed a pretty mean punch.

"Well, we have a bit over two hours to travel on Route One before we get to Pallet. If we continue going now then I'd say we'll make it there at around..." Max checked the time on his pokegear. "four o clock."

May seemed reinvigorated at the prospect of getting to Pallet Town so soon. Her desire to see Ash was at an all time high and the idea of her desire becoming reality excited her beyond measure. Her extremely giddy expression did not go unnoticed by Max, who just couldn't pass up the opportunity to tease his sister.

"Settle down May, you'll get to see your boyfriend in no time at all." Max teased, knowing full well that his sister had feelings for his idol, even if she hadn't completely realized them yet.

May blushed, but quickly tried to recover and glared at Max.

"Max, he is not my boyfriend! Do I need to knock that into your skull again?" May was getting tired of all the teasing.

May had made the mistake of telling her brother that she was confused about her feelings for the raven haired trainer as they were traveling; she normally wouldn't have done this, but she'd felt comfortable with her brother during the early leg of their journey and she was simply having a hard time keeping her confusing thoughts to herself.

Now, Max had not shut up about her having feelings for Ash and him being her boyfriend. This didn't help things when she was so confused with her feelings.

Max looked in fear as he remembered the last time he had said something like that, which wasn't too long before this. "May, I'm sorry, please just don't-OWWW." Max couldn't finished due to a strong punch from his sister into his arm.

After punching her brother, any and all anger she felt previously melted away and was once again replaced by a look of pure joy and excitement.

"Let's keep going. I can't wait to get there!" May exclaimed cheerfully, doing a complete 180 from her angry state just moments ago.

Max just shook his head and mumbled to himself. "Women..." He then followed his sister down route one.

…

…

About two and a half hours later, the sibling duo reached the familiar hill that stood high above PalletTown.

May stood, looking at all the houses until she spotted the one she was looking for. The house looked the same as she remembered, she could tell even from this distance.

May felt both excited and nervous at the prospect of seeing Ash again. Sure, she had talked to him on the phone at least twice a year, not counting this past year, and they always exchanged presents for special occasions, but it had been nearly 4 years since they had seen each other face to face.

Though if the tremendous smile on her face was any indication, her excitement greatly outweighed her nervousness. That being said, May also couldn't deny that the butterflies she felt in her stomach were stronger than ever before, even before her first ever contest performance.

May also hoped to find something here... her true feelings toward the raven haired man who'd made such a huge impact on her life. She had an idea, but she needed to know for sure, and this was the opportunity she needed to find out just what these feelings were and how deeply they ran. As Max approached her side, the two looked to each other and shared a smile before they began the final leg of their journey to Ash's house.

* * *

__Ketchum Household__

Serena was seated in the living room in a chair she had brought from the kitchen and placed next to the couch, which currently housed a sleeping Ash. Serena wasn't all that tired when everyone wanted to take a nap, which left her with nothing really to do.

She was a bit embarrassed by the thought, but she knew the reason she felt so well rested was because of the position she had slept the night before. Sleeping cuddled up to Ash had brought her comfort like she had never felt before. And the knowledge that Ash enjoyed the contact made her even more giddy and awake.

Serena was brought out of her thoughtful state when she heard a light knock on the front door of the house. She wondered if she should answer it since everyone else was asleep and Delia was in the backyard with Mr. Mime. It was just a few moments later that she came to the conclusion that it couldn't hurt, so she stood from her chair and walked quietly to the door.

She opened it slowly and drank in the sight of two familiar looking people. But despite feeling like she'd seen the two people in front of her before, Serena couldn't place exactly why they looked so familiar.

One was a boy she guessed to be in his early teens. He had dark blue hair and wore a green polo shirt along with khaki shorts. His most notable trait was definitely the large glasses on his face.

The other figure was a girl she guessed to be around her own age. She was maybe an inch or so taller than herself. She had brown hair that warped down her face into somewhat of a downward V with a mostly white bandana on her head that included a red pokeball symbol on the side. Although it was an odd hairstyle, Serena found it beautiful, at least...on her; she wasn't entirely convinced that she could pull it off.

The woman was wearing a red colored top and matching skirt, under which were a pair of tight black bicycle shorts. She looked her up and down and recognized her to be an extremely beautiful girl.

"Oh... I'm sorry. We must have the wrong house." The boy apologized, this being his theory as he didn't recognize the person who'd answered the door.

The woman looked toward her brother. "No Max, this is definitely Ash's house. I'm completely certain of it."

"Well, she's right, this is Ash Ketchum's house. And may I ask who you two are?" Serena questioned, her curiosity of why these two looked so familiar pushing her to ask this question.

"See, I told you!" May said to her brother before turning to face the blonde woman in front of her once again. "Well, my name is May and this is my brother Max." May spoke sweetly.

"__That's why they're familiar. May and Max!___" _Serena thought to herself as it all clicked in her mind once she heard their names. Ash had spoken of the two in great detail, especially May.

"Oh my Arceus, I'm sorry. I can't believe I didn't recognize you guys. After all, Ash has told me so much about the two of you. I should have recognized you." Serena exclaimed happily. She'd heard a lot of great things about the two siblings and was looking forward to getting to know them after all she'd been told about them.

"Yeah, that's us. And who are you?" Max questioned, curious as to who the stunning blonde woman was in front of him.

"Oh, right. I'm Serena! It's really nice to meet you both!" Serena introduced herself in a sweet tone of voice.

Once she heard the woman's name, a look of recognition appeared on May's face. Like she had of herself, May had been told all about Serena from Ash when they would talk.

"Oh Serena! Ash has told me so much about you too. I'm just as ashamed that I couldn't recognize you. It's great to finally meet you as well." May declared happily.

Serena nodded and gestured for the two to come in, but also to be quiet, as a lot of the household was still asleep. When the three entered the living room, Serena noticed that Ash was no longer asleep on the couch.

Confused, Serena spoke, "I don't know where Ash went. He was asleep on the couch right before I opened the door."

As she finished saying this, the door to the bathroom could be seen opening and out walked a still tired looking Ash.

He was rubbing his eyes as he walked into the living room. When he got to the entrance of the room, he stopped rubbing and gazed at those in the room. His eyes widened in surprise at the sight of two of his best friends he hadn't seen in years standing in front of him.

"May? Max?" Ash asked not truly believing they were there. The two siblings both were equally giddy at seeing Ash.

Instead of responding verbally, May took off running towards Ash and wrapped him up in a massive hug. They stayed like this for more than a minute, just happy to be in each others presence once again. This agitated Serena a bit, but she let it go, knowing they hadn't seen each other in so long.

During this time, May was actually crying into Ash's chest; just seeing him again in person made her cry tears of joy.

"I missed you so much." May mumbled into Ash's chest. She'd always known she'd missed being with Ash, but she didn't realize just how much she'd missed him until now.

Here and now, May once again felt an incredible amount of regret for ever leaving Ash's side to go to Johto. Now, May couldn't fathom how she'd made that decision in the first place. Ash noticed May's tears and began rubbing her back.

"I missed you too, May. But it's okay now. We're here, together. I'm right here." Ash spoke softly. May's tears slowly stopped coming and reluctantly, she broke away from the embrace and tried to lighten the mood.

"Dang Ketchum, you got tall." May said, still sniffling a bit. Ash laughed and nodded his head. He was then attacked once again by Max. This time, the hug was much shorter and less emotional.

"I just had to do that." Max said. "It's really great to see you again, Ash."

"You too, Max." Ash's responded. "So I see you've met Serena."

"Yeah. From the pictures you've shown me, I knew she was pretty, but I mean wow. She's absolutely gorgeous!" May spoke happily, the only evidence of her ever crying now was in her red eyes.

Serena smiled at the praise. "Oh stop it, May. If anyone should be throwing out compliments here it should be me. Don't take this the wrong way, but you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." May smiled in return and thanked Serena for the kind words. Both girls could already tell they were going to be great friends.

While this was going on, Ash was drinking in the sight of May. Like him, she had really grown up and Ash admired how absolutely beautiful she looked. Little did he know that May had already done the same thing to him as well, coming to a similar conclusion. Ash felt he had to add his two cents to the conversation.

"Well I think..." Ash started while walking between the two girls and putting a hand over each of their shoulders. "...that you two are both incredibly beautiful."

Both girls blushed a deep red at the praise from Ash.

"T-thanks Ash." Serena just managed out.

"Y-Yeah t-thanks." May was surprised by how difficult it was to get two simple words out of her mouth.

After they both spoke, Ash released both girls from the side hug.

"So, what are you guys doing here?" Ash asked, excitement evident in his voice. It wasn't that he wasn't happy to see them, quite the opposite actually, but he was simply wondering what'd caused the two siblings to come see him.

"Well, we were watching your battle in Petalburgh and we just felt that we had to come congratulate you in person!" Max exclaimed, becoming excited once again as the moment of Ash winning the pokemon league replayed in his head.

"Yeah, congratulations, Ash! You have no idea how happy I am for you." May added softly.

Ash smiled and thanked his friends. It was then Ash remembered that he hadn't been able to check around to see what had happened in May's latest grand festival.

"Thanks! Speaking of big battles, how did your last Grand Festival go May? I haven't had time to check with the tournament and all." Ash questioned, hoping for the best

"Well Ash." May started off with a sad voice, tricking Ash into thinking the worst. As she wanted to play with him a bit. Though, her voice soon changed to one of excitement. "I won! I finally won a grand festival!"

"No way May, that's fantastic." Ash pulled May into another hug to congratulate her. "To think we would both take the first step towards our dreams in the same year! I'm so proud of you May. I can't wait to watch the festival now!"

May was genuinely happy when Ash said he was proud of her. This also made May blush once again which luckily for her, went unnoticed. For some reason, she'd always wanted to impress him. She guessed it was because he had taught her basically everything she knew about pokemon. In her mind, Ash was a huge part of why she was where she was today.

"Thanks, Ash. I'm just really happy we both have a big win under our belts now. You're right when you said we are both one step closer to our dreams." May said, really relishing in what she was feeling at the moment.

Of course, May'd been extremely happy when she finally won a Grand Festival just days ago, but she couldn't deny that something had been missing, something that'd taken away from the happiness and excitement of it all. And now that she was here, she realized that the reason she couldn't fully enjoy the win was because Ash wasn't there to share the moment with her.

Ash'd always been there to congratulate her and to pick her up when she was down. As May realized that Ash was one of, if not the most important person in her life, she now understood that without him being there for one of the biggest moments of her life, the moment just wasn't as big.

But now that she was with him once again, May felt even more excitement over her win, as well as Ash's huge victory. All of these thoughts were slowly breaking through her confusing thoughts and feelings, giving her clues as to what she truly felt for the raven haired man she credited so much to.

As May finished speaking, Misty, Paul and Brock had all made their way down the stairs, shocked to see the two siblings. There was a lot of excitement when the old friends united.

Paul, since he'd never met them before, was also introduced to the duo and although he wasn't much of a people person, he could see himself at least liking May on the level of Serena. Max on the other hand, he wasn't so sure if they were going to get along as they younger boy did nothing but swamp him with questions as soon as they were introduced.

Max told him how much of a fan he was of him and his pokemon. What really got him was when he gave him multiple reasons why he lost his last battle with Ash. All in all, his first impression of Max was that he was pretty annoying. He hoped he would tone it down a bit once they spent some more time together and the shock of seeing someone who could be considered at least semi-famous in the battling world wore down. After all, Ash was a good deal more famous than Paul, and Max didn't act like this around him all the time. At least, he hoped...

After all the introductions were out of the way, Ash went and got his mother from the backyard so she could say hello to May and Max. She was delighted to see them after such a long time and welcomed them to stay, along with everyone else.

The only problem hat arose because of this was the fact that the humble Ketchum household wasn't exactly fit to hold this many people. But with some creative thinking and compromise, they all figured out sleeping arrangements. Max would have a cot in Brock and Paul's room while May would sleep on the other couch the family room had to offer.

After all of this was said and done and the conversations of everyone's journeys were winding down, it was well passed 6:30pm and dinner was going to be served soon. When Ash and May smelled Delia's delectable cooking coming from the kitchen, they couldn't help but drool a bit. The two looked at each other and smiled. To this day, neither of them had been able to find another person besides each other who could match their appetites. It was just one of many things they had in common.

Once dinner was served, everyone partook in more conversation. May spoke of her journeys through both Sinnoh and Hoenn, with Hoenn being the region where she had won the grand festival. Brock noted how cool it was that both Ash and May's first major win came in their respective home regions, which brought smiles to the pair's faces as they realized this. It really was a cool thing that their second journey through their home region was what finally gave them their first major victory.

"Hey Ash, I forgot to ask this earlier. Where's Pikachu." Max asked. He'd realized Pikachu's absence earlier but like everyone else, they were simply too absorbed in what was going on around them with everyone else that he'd forgotten to ask.

"Oh, he's up at Professor Oak's lab, he wanted to go see all of his friends. He should be back soon though." Ash explained to the younger boy, causing the other new arrivals else to realize that they'd forgotten to ask about this as well.

"So Ash, are we just going to go to Professor Oak's tomorrow since it's already dark out?" Serena questioned.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I say we go around 9 tomorrow morning, I'll be sure to wake everyone up, so no need to set an alarm." Ash responded, telling everyone of his plan.

May scoffed at the last thing Ash'd said, causing most everyone to look at her questioningly. "Yeah right, like Ash Ketchum is going to wake up before everyone else."

Both herself and Max were laughing at this, but they quickly realized that no one else was laughing along with them. Seeing this, May tilted her head and spoke. "What?"

"Well, for the past few years, Ash has been getting up at the crack of dawn to train alongside his pokemon. He is almost always up before everyone else." Brock explained to May and Max, whom were both gobsmacked by the revelation.

Both May and Max's jaws hit the floor when they heard this. When they traveled with Ash, he was always one to love his sleep. Though, the same could be said for May as well, she knew. They guessed Ash had changed, at least a little, and it seemed to be for the better.

"Well okay then." May said considering herself 'told'. Everyone laughed at May's response.

It was around this time that everyone was completely done with their food, and they were simply just sitting around chatting ow.

"Why don't we head into the family room so we can talk some more." Ash suggested. Everyone agreed and walked to the living room, leaving Mr. Mime happily with the dishes.

Brock was tempted to stay behind, but he really wanted to catch up with his friends. Before he left the kitchen, he shot Mr. Mime a look that told him 'this is far from over'.

* * *

__Route One__

"Ugghh... thank Arceus we're out of that stupid forest, huh Piplup?" Dawn grunted, tired out from trekking through the sizable forest. The forest between Pallet Town and Viridian was significantly smaller than that of Viridian Forest, but it was definitely still not what one would consider 'small'.

"Piplup pip!" The blue penguin pokemon agreed by waving his hand's around. Dawn giggled at her starter as they continued walking. The sun had already began to set over the horizon, but Dawn was determined to reach Ash's house tonight.

Dawn had never missed anybody as badly as she missed Ash. She'd never wanted to see anyone as much as she wanted to see him. Knowing that he was only a couple hours walk away was enough to keep her going.

By now, Dawn had accepted that she at least had a crush on Ash; she had never felt this strongly about anyone. And while she now felt comfortable admitting that the crush she had on the raven haired man from their time traveling together had never gone away, she still felt confused about it all. It felt like..._more, _but she wasn't sure. She was really hoping to get everything cleared up while she was visiting Ash.

She pondered over these thoughts for the rest of her walked until she realized she was actually in Pallet Town. She was blown away by how fast time had gone by just because she was thinking about her feelings. She'd really gotten distracted. Though because these thoughts were incredibly important to her and had the potential to affect her life in a major way, she understood why she'd spaced out for so long.

"Wow, time sure flies when you're thinking about things, huh Piplup?" Dawn questioned her starter.

Piplup just shook his head and fell over, exhausted. While Dawn was lost in thought, she inadvertently ignored Piplup's requests to be carried the rest of the way. Dawn giggled at the downed Piplup and scooped him up into her arms. She then resumed walking, only to be halted by a familiar sound.

"Pikaka!" Pikachu ran at Dawn at full speed and jumped into her arms, inadvertently knocking Piplup out of them in the process.

Dawn was laughing heartily, obviously overjoyed to see the yellow rodent, "Hey Pikachu! Are you coming from the lab back to Ash's house?" Dawn asked, noticing the lab from the direction where Pikachu was coming from. Pikachu nodded his head in response. "Is Ash with you?"

Dawn felt herself fill up with hope, excitement and nervousness at the prospect of Ash being just a few feet away, chasing after Pikachu. She couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed when Pikachu shook his head and pointed in the direction of his house, telling her that's where he was. Though, she didn't allow these feelings to linger more than a few seconds as she realized that Ash was still incredibly close and she'd be seeing him again in just a matter of minutes.

Piplup was getting up off the ground, anger filling his veins until he saw who had knocked him out of his trainer's arms. When he saw that it Pikachu, he had newfound energy and all the anger melted away from inside of him.

Dawn placed Pikachu down next to Piplup so the two could say hello. The two did a cool handshake to say hello and then proceeded to walk toward the Ketchum residence, with Dawn walking by their side.

The closer she got, the more excited she felt. She couldn't believe the butterflies she was feeling, simply over seeing Ash again.

As she made her final approach to the house, she paused to admire the beautiful modesty of the home. While drinking in the sight, she noticed a light was shining brightly through a window, making a silhouetted figure visible. She looked closer and noticed the wild and crazy hair barely kept under wraps by a hat. At the realization of who this person was, she sprinted toward the door and knocked.

* * *

__Ketchum Residence__

Everyone had converged into the family room and the conversation was picking up again. Most people were seated on the two long couches present in the room. Ash, however, had given up his seat on said couch to Max and was currently sitting on the floor in front of a large window.

"Anyway, after I lost that contest, I just didn-" May was cut off by the sound of knocking. This seemed strange to everyone as no one was expecting company, especially this late in the afternoon.

Despite the confusion, Ash rose from his spot on the ground and strutted toward the door. Apparently he was taking too long as the person behind the door knocked again impatiently.

"Coming." Ash yelled loud enough so that he could be heard through the door.

It wasn't but a few seconds before he finally reached the door and opened it wide. As he saw the person behind the door, Ash's jaw dropped. There, in the door way, was Dawn Berlitz, another of his best friends. What were the chances of two of the friends he hadn't seen in years showing up on the same day?

Both Ash and Dawn were speechless. Pikachu hopped out of Dawn's grasp and ran into the house as Ash and Dawn just continued staring at each other. Dawn couldn't help but drink in Ash's appearance. She was so taken aback that words couldn't seem to pass her lips and she felt a warmth rush to her cheeks. She couldn't help but find him to be _incredibly _ she didn't know, was that Ash was in a similar state with similar thoughts running through his head.

Having been shocked by the surprise visit from Dawn as well as how beautiful she looked, Ash was silenced completely. Dawn was no better, as she couldn't bring herself to speak nor act as she was too overjoyed at seeing Ash again, as well as being blown away by ho handsome he looked.

Ash eventually broke out of his funk, being the first of the two to do so, ,and immediately rushed forward and enveloped Dawn in an embrace. This seemed to knock the bluenette out of her state as she rested her head on Ash's chest and hugged him back.

Dawn experienced feelings similar to those felt by May earlier in the day. She, like the former, had let a few tears fall from her beautiful face but not a word was spoken. The hug said all that was needed to be.

"Hey Ash, who is it?" Brock inquired, wondering why it was taking.

Upon hearing this, Ash and Dawn broke apart and smiled warmly at each other. Ash then motioned for Dawn and Piplup to wait outside for just a moment longer.

Ash turned back to the group with a lopsided grin on his face. "You'll never believe who's here you guys."

Before anyone had a chance to guess, the beautiful bluenette walked through the door and waved to the group of people.

She was a little taken back upon first glance. She'd heard Brock's voice and expected Ash was here with maybe him and one other person. Though, she quickly realized that this wasn't the case. She immediately recognized May and assumed the boy sitting next to her was her brother Max.

Then she saw Paul. She scoffed at him; even though she'd heard he had changed, Dawn still did not like him. She'd have to see how he'd changed to believe it and then _maybe,_ she could tolerate him.

Once she saw the orange hair, she knew that the person it belonged to had to be Misty, who Ash talked about sometimes. The one person she couldn't recognized was the stunning blonde woman.

"Dawn!" May, Brock, and Delia exclaimed happily as they each ran up to her and gave her a hug after she'd placed Piplup on the ground.

"Hey guys! It's great to see you!" Dawn exclaimed, happy about the surprise reunion.

She was overjoyed to see her old friends, but she couldn't help but feel a bit upset as well. She was hoping that this visit would just be herself and Ash. Little did she know these same feelings were harbored by May as well. Though, she shrugged it off and decided to make the best of the situation. After all, these people were her closest friends, so it really wasn't bad at all, just different from what she'd been expecting.

After rounds of greetings and introductions, Dawn finally came to the blonde girl. "Hi there, I'm Dawn. I don't think we've met before."

Serena was normally happy to meet new people, but after seeing how beautiful all of Ash's past traveling companions were, and the fact that they were all here right now, she was feeling a bit insecure. Though, she pushed her feeling aside for the time being and introduced herself,.

"Hi Dawn! I'm Serena. It's really nice to meet you." Serena smiled, pushing past the jealousy and insecurities she was feeling.

"Dawn, Not that I'm not happy about it, but what are you doing here?" Ash asked, a huge, almost unbelieving smile still gracing his features; it was one much like the one on his face when May and Max first showed up.

Dawn's smile had also not left her face. If anything, it had only grown bigger once she laid her eyes on Ash. "Well, I was watching your match and after you won, I just had to come here and congratulate you in person. A simple phone call didn't seem to do your accomplishment justice. So...here I am."

"Thanks Dawn, I'm really glad you're here." Ash added. Dawn blushed slightly at his sweet tone, which didn't go unnoticed by Serena. She decided, however, that it was best to just shrug it off for the time being. Even with this thought in her mind, she couldn't help but feel a little defensive over Ash.

"Ash sure did great, didn't he?" Serena added quickly, trying to garner some attention of her own. Luckily, she did it subtly enough to where it fit into the flow of the conversation as everyone in the room, Paul included, agreed.

"Oh and May! Congratulations on your big Hoenn Grand Festival victory!" Dawn exclaimed, hugging her fellow coordinator.

May laughed and smiled brightly. "Thanks, Dawn. I've been following your contests as well. I know you'll win your first grand festival soon."

Dawn sighed and smiled sadly, "I know. It just gets frustrating...Sometimes, I don't know if I'm still cut out for contests..."

Even with all the joy and excitement in the air, Dawn still couldn't help but feel a bit of sadness creep up as she thought about her past failures. Both Ash and Dawn had taken steps toward their goals, but she hadn't. She'd been in the finals a couple of times, but she could just never get that big win.

She hated to bring the mood down at all, but Dawn simply couldn't help it. These thoughts were something that plagued her sometimes whilst traveling alone.

"Dawn, you can't give up." Ash spoke seriously with determination heavy in his tone. "You are one of the best coordinators I have ever seen. You made it to the finals in your _first_ Grand Festival ever! I know that next contest season will be yours for the taking. Because you're amazing Dawn, I know you can do it."

Dawn felt great joy and confidence rush through her. She had come to Pallet Town to be happy and have fun, two things Ash was already providing for her. She'd nearly forgotten what it was like to have Ash there encouraging her, praising her and helping her but now, she'd realized just how much she'd missed it and was having a hard time thinking about living without it again. His words were always so meaningful and sincere, he could always cheer her up. It made Dawn's heart flutter.

Both Serena and May felt a pang of jealousy within them as Ash praised Dawn. They knew Ash thought highly of all of his friends and was never afraid to voice this, but for whatever reason, hearing him praise Dawn made the girls jealous.

"Thanks, Ash. You really know how to sweet talk a girl don't you." Dawn teased after thanking him softly, making Ash blush and rub the back of his head in embarrassment. This earned a laugh from the whole room.

At this time, Buneary had let herself out of her pokeball and ran straight to Pikachu, who was currently chatting with May's Glaceon.

Pikachu paled at the sight of her, but put on a warm smile and allowed Buneary to give him a hug as they hadn't seen each other in a long while. Even despite everything and how crazy Buneary was about him, Pikachu still did like her and was happy to have her around again. At least, for now.

Glaceon, however, didn't like this at all. But for the sake of not starting anything in front of Pikachu, she let it go for the time being.

Ash walked back to his spot on the floor and offered Dawn a spot next to him after apologizing for the lack of seats. The conversations continued until late into the night, when one by one, people periodically began heading off to bed. Delia was first, followed by Brock, Paul, Misty and Max. That left Ash, May, Dawn and Serena left in the living room.

These three didn't even seem to notice that the others had left because they were all so entranced within each others presence. Laughs were shared and all four got along fantastically. It all finally came to an end for the night when both Dawn and Serena let out a loud yawn at almost the same exact time, causing both to giggle at each other afterwards.

"Dawn, we need to figure out where you're gonna sleep." Ash stated, trying to think of a solution to the problem.

"She can sleep with me and Misty in your room, Ash." Serena offered politely. "I think I saw another cot in the hall closet."

Ash snapped his fingers in remembrance, "Oh yeah! I forgot about that thing! Are you alright with that Dawn. Sorry, we weren't really expecting this many people."

Dawn giggled, "It's fine Ash, really. I think we should all head to bed. I really want to have a great day tomorrow and we can't do that unless we're all well rested!"

Everyone nodded in agreement. 'Good nights' were passed amongst the group as Dawn and Serena made their way upstairs.

May strolled off to the hall bathroom in order to prepare for bed, with Ash doing the same immediately after. Ash returned to the living room, spotting May in a seated position on the couch she'd be using for the night, staring at him.

"May?" Ash questioned while waving his hand in front of her face. She was clearly lost in her own little world at the moment. Ash couldn't help but chuckle at her. "You in there May?"

May finally exited her trance like state and smiled, a massive blush evident on her face. "Y-Yeah! I'm good, sorry about that. Just...thinking."

Ash couldn't tell, but May wasn't being entirely truthful. In reality, May had been staring at Ash. He had come from the bathroom with a tight black shirt on, which showed off his toned body. May couldn't help but stare as she appreciated how good her best friend looked.

Ash smiled at May, turned off the lights, and laid down on his couch opposite of May's. After about 15 minutes, when May was fairly confident that Ash was asleep, she pulled her necklace out from where it was hidden beneath her shirt.

She admired the most beautiful part of the necklace. The part that was meant to catch everyone's eye. Her half of the terracotta ribbon. She'd always kept it on her ever since she and Ash parted ways, having only recently made it into a necklace before coming to Pallet. She admired how the gold center still shined like the day they first won it as well as how the ribbon was still in tip top shape even after all these years.

"You still have your half of the ribbon?" May jumped when she heard Ash speak as she thought he was asleep.

May looked a little embarrassed, thinking that Ash may be making fun of her for still having it after all this time. She answered shyly, "Y-Yeah..."

Ash was silent for a moment, reaching around for something in his pocket. Once he found it, he sat up and flipped on the lamp that sat next to the couch. "Good. Because you know I always have mine."

May glanced over at Ash holding his half of the ribbon in his hand and staring at it softly, feeling a sense of relief. She felt a wave of extreme happiness in knowing that Ash still carried the ribbon with him at all times, just like herself.

"__What was I thinking? Ash isn't like Drew. Even if he didn't still have the ribbon, he would never make fun of me for having it.___" _May thought to herself with a smile. She was touched that Ash would still keep the old ribbon. She wasn't exactly sure why, but she felt her heart flutter while thinking this.

"This thing has been my good luck charm ever since we won it. I literally can't remember a time when I've been without it." Ash continued as he stared at the ribbon in his hand, a smile on his face.

"I know what you mean. I've had this thing since we split up also. I've had it on me every moment since." May returned with a smile of her own.

Ash was feeling particularly deep tonight, as he was that night under the stars with Serena. This is what made him say what he did next. "Two halves, separated by fate... brought back together by the powerful bond that they share." Ash finished, looking May in the eye as he finished.

May had no idea Ash could be this insightful. It warmed her heart to hear of their bond, knowing just how deep it truly was. May simply stared at Ash with a soft smile on his face after he spoke, an intense feeling of joy coming over her. May had absolutely no regrets coming here. In fact, it might have been one of the better decisions she;d made in a long time.

Once Ash finished speaking, he turned off the lamp on the table next to his couch and laid down to try and get some sleep.

"Goodnight May." Ash spoke softly.

"Goodnight Ash..." May mumbled, thinking about herself and Ash and what he truly was to her.

What exactly these intense and deep feelings she had for him were.

* * *

__The Next Morning__

It was currently nine in the morning as Ash made his way back inside his house, drenched in sweat after an intense training session with the pokemon he had on him at the moment. He would have gone to Oak's lab to train with all of his pokemon, but he promised the others in the house that he would wait and bring them along with him.

He entered the kitchen to grab a glass of water, only to be met with practically the entire house sitting at the table, awaiting breakfast. Brock was wearing his signature apron as he and Mr. Mime prepared what would surly be an amazingly delicious breakfast. Despite their rivalry, which did get somewhat annoying sometimes, Delia was happy to get a break from cooking for a while.

Everyone looked at Ash, who was still breathing slightly heavier than normal. Everyone couldn't help but notice just how drenched he was. His shirt was clinging to his strong body, which made most of the girls around him blush just slightly for a few moments before they regained control of themselves.

"Jeez Ash. Did you go swimming or something?" Dawn asked, completely unaware of his training.

Ash put an evil smirk on his face, "No Dawn, this would be sweat. I was just training with my pokemon. Now come here and give me a hug."

Ash moved toward Dawn, arms spread wide.

Dawn half screamed, half laughed and jolted up as the two began a chase around the table. Dawn was laughing and Ash had a big smile on his face. Finally, Ash let Dawn be.

"Alright. I can see I'm not wanted here." Ash said while pouting, feigning sadness.

May, who was laughing from the antics of the two, spoke, up "Oh shut up and go take a shower."

Ash stuck his tongue out at May before her made his way out of the kitchen and to the bathroom upstairs where he would shower.

"I legitimately thought he went swimming with his clothes on. Or that he got hit with a water pulse," Dawn said, not yet fully recovered from her laughing fit.

"I don't blame you. When I heard that Ash trained alongside his pokemon, I had no idea things got so intense." Max added. If Ash was that sweaty from his training, then it had to be incredibly difficult and intense.

"Trust me, it is. I actually tried doing it for a while, but I just couldn't keep up. He does it day after day at the crack of dawn every morning. The first morning I tried to train with him, we started with an 8 mile run, and Ash said he was going easy on me!" Serena exclaimed, incredibly impressed by how hard Ash worked on a daly basis. He truly did deserve all the success that'd come to him.

"I trained with him for a while as well. While his Pokemon's and his endurance are nothing to scoff at, it's their strength that really impressed me. Ash and his pokemon do so much strength training it's crazy. And when it comes to move training...let's just say I can see why I lost our last battle." Paul mentioned, genuinely impressed with his friend's determination to be the best.

"Wow." Everyone, even Delia, said at once. His training seemed insanely difficult, but it obviously helped him become a better trainer and helped him get into amazing shape. It made sense to everyone because in the Indigo league, up until Paul, Ash hadn't lost a single pokemon in battle.

After their conversation had died down and breakfast was served, Ash returned wearing his usual black T-shirt, covered by a short sleeved jacket that was mostly red except for the white sleeves and collar. He wore plain, dark blue jeans with his poke balls attached to his belt. His hat, which was a larger version of the hat he had worn during his Hoenn journey, was sat nicely on top of his head, trying its best to contain his wild raven colored hair.

Everyone welcomed Ash back, but he seemed to ignore them all as he took the empty seat in between Max and Misty. Even during his approach to the table, his eyes had been glued to the mass amount of food in the middle of the table.

Immediately after sitting down, he began filling his plate with everything he could. Egg, sausage, bacon, and pancakes were just some of the things on his seemingly mile-high plate. Everyone realized they better grab some themselves or else Ash might just eat everything.

May's plate rivaled that of even Ash's as the two scarfed down the food like wild animals. Most everyone present had almost forgotten that Ash and May ate so...aggressively. But hey, they loved food and who were they to judge.

Ash and May looked up to each other, mouths full of food and issued a silent challenge to each other. The two then began eating even faster, with both clearing their plates at practically the same moment.

"Done!" Exclaimed both Ash and May at the exact same time. Both laughed and rubbed the back of their heads sheepishly. He two had once again inadvertently made eating a competition, as they did sometimes in the past. But to this day, there had still yet to be a definitive winner

"I guess it's another tie." May said, slightly embarrassed by the way she'd eaten in front of everyone else. She normally wouldn't be embarrassed by this at all, but because she'd only just met some of these, people, she couldn't help but feel the slightest bit embarrassed. Though because everyone here had seen Ash eat, she realized that this really wasn't abnormal to them

Plus, as long as Ash didn't care, she would be perfectly happy and content,

"We'll settle this one day, Maple!" Ash exclaimed, earning a laugh from the whole table.

With Ash and May going in for seconds, and the rest of the group returning to their meals, Max decided it would be a good time to ask Ash something that had been on his mind ever since he'd first arrived.

"Hey Ash?" Max started. Ash looked up with another mouth full of food. "Remember that battle you promised me back when we parted ways?"

Ash swallowed and took a break from his meal. "Of course I do, Max! In fact, I was going to bring it up as soon as breakfast was over. What do you say after we visit my pokemon at Professor Oak's lab, we have that battle. Sound good to you?"

"Yeah! But you better be ready Ash, because you're going down!" Max shouted excitedly. This was quite literally his dream match. The only thing that could've made it better was if this battle was taking place in a tournament.

"We'll see about that, Max. We're just looking forward to a fun battle! Right Pikachu?" Ash said with a huge grin. Even though everyone already knew it, his reaction and how he spoke clearly illustrated just how much he loved battling.

"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed with his trainer.

Everyone at the table looked at Max and grinned. Everyone knew that he most likely didn't stand a chance against Ash based on experience alone, but it was great to see just how excited he was to battle his idol.

About 20 minutes later, everyone had finished their breakfast, including Ash and May after their 4th helpings.

"How do you guys stay in such great shape when you eat so much all the time?" Misty asked, slightly jealous of their ability to do this.

"Do you know how hard I train, Misty? Honestly, I don't think I'm getting enough calories compared to what I burn off during training as it is." Ash reasoned.

Because of how rigorous his training was and the frequency in which he did it, he required a lot more calories than a normal person. He could eat practically whatever he wanted and still stay in the perfect shape he's in.

Misty nodded at Ash, accepting his reasoning before turning her head and looking to May. "And what's your excuse?"

May laughed sheepishly, "Hehe...I'm just lucky I guess."

Both Misty and Dawn sighed at May's response. They were extremely jealous that they couldn't eat like she did and not have to worry about their figure. May noticed their sad faces.

"Hey, but don't think I don't work out too because I do! Plus, we're all traveling trainers and coordinators, we walk a lot." May said. Both girls cheered up slightly, even though they knew May was probably just saying this to make them feel better. She clearly had a fast metabolism, just like Ash did.

"Come on guys, let's go to Professor Oak's lab so me and Ash can have our battle!" Max exclaimed, more than ready to get this battle underway.

"Yeah! Let's go!" Even though he was four years older, Ash sounded just as excited as Max. Everyone smiled as they realized that Ash hadn't changed much and ran off after them. His love for pokemon was staggering, and it was amazing for the other to see someone so passionate about something.

Everyone, save for Delia who didn't want to tag along as she had work to do sound the house and garden, met up with Ash and Max just outside the door of his home.

"Hehe... Sorry. I guess we got a little carried away there. We should walk together." Ash said, slightly embarrassed by his childish behavior. He'd certainly matured over the years, but he still definitely held onto some of his quirks, something that all of his friends appreciated.

"No worries. I'm excited for the battle as well. Let's get going." Brock stated as he started walking toward the lab with everyone else following suit.

Professor Oak's lab was about a 10 minute walk from Ash's house. As the gang walked along the path, more conversation ensued. The stroll was peaceful and it was an incredibly nice day. Everyone was feeling particularly happy at the moment, and they doubted hardly anything would be able to change that.

However, about five minutes into their walk, everyone was stopped and silenced by Ash turning around and putting a finger to his lips.

After a few moments of uninterrupted silence, May spoke up quietly, "What wrong, Ash?"

Ash looked around him one last time. "Sorry. I thought I heard something strange. I must be hearing things. Let's just keep going."

Agreeing, everyone continued walking. This didn't last long however as not five steps into their newly resumed travels, the ground beneath them collapsed.

No one was spared from the extra wide hole as everyone fell into the trap. Everyone groaned in pain, trying to recover from the various positions they landed in. Ash was the first to recover as he stood up.

Immediately, he had a good idea who had done this.

"Is everyone alright? Ash asked. As he looked around, he noticed something was missing. "Wait, where's Pikachu?

It was then that he heard maniacal laughter from above. Everyone's looked up to the top of the hole and saw both Jessie and James; everyone also knew that Meowth had to be around as well.

"Team Rocket." Ash said angrily through gritted teeth.

"HAHAHA. That's right twerp. And guess who's finally got Pikachu!" Jessie boasted. arrogantly At this point, Meowth had made himself known, holding, what Ash assumed to be, an electric proof capsule that contained Pikachu.

"What, no more motto?" Dawn asked harshly, mocking them.

After hearing the bluenette speak, the rocket trio realized just how many people had fallen into their trap. They were surprised to see most of Ash's traveling companions from both now and the past.

"Well would you look at that. All of the old twerps and twerpettes back together again. How sweet. And we outgrew the motto if you must know; We are much too good for it now." Jessie spoke egotistically.

Ash's anger was at an all time high at this moment. He was getting really sick of Team Rocket always following him around and trying to steal Pikachu. It'd been nearly a decade. He just wanted to be done with them for good.

Quickly, Ash reached for a pokeball and threw the chosen pokeball high above the hole. "Charizard, I choose you!"

The pokemon appeared in a red flash, high above the hole. His mighty roar made Team Rocket gulp in fear, but they still refused to back down. They both released their own Pokemon, Jessie's Seviper and James' Malamar respectively, to battle the significantly larger than average Charizard.

As this was going on, Ash had also released one of the newest additions to his team. "Alakazam, I need you to teleport us all out of this hole."

"Ala Alakazam." Ash's pokemon said while nodding his head. Within a second, everyone was out of the hole and were now facing Team Rocket. Ash's Charizard had made quick work of the rocket's two pokemon and was returned by Ash. He then sent out his trusted Lucario, a plan already formed in his mind.

"Lucario, extreme speed over to them and grab Pikachu!" Ash commanded, having a good feeling that this simple tactic would work to perfection.

Within a half a second of hearing the command, she did just that. Lucario rushed over, grabbed the container right out of Meowth's hands and returned to Ash along with the yellow rodent all in the blink of an eye. Ash quickly twisted the top off of the container and let Pikachu free. The two shared a smile and a nod of the head before Pikachu took up a battle stance next to Lucario.

Everyone was incredibly impressed by Lucario's speed, but this was no time for praise... they had bad guys to deal with after all. Seeing that his work was done, Ash returned Lucario after thanking her.

"When will you learn that you will never win!?" Brock yelled at the three evildoers. It astounded him, and everyone around him that these three were still trying to capture Pikachu, even after years and years of constant failures.

"Yeah, you three are nothing but a bunch of screw ups!" May added aggressively, angry at them for trying to take Pikachu. She'd nearly forgotten how much she disliked the rocket trio while being away from them. That being said, the memories of her annoyance with them came back quickly in this moment.

Both James and Meowth looked scared at the prospect of being blasted off once again by Pikachu, who packed a very serious punch nowadays. Jessie on the other hand, looked as if she had no fear at all. In fact, she was showing nothing but absolutely fury.

James leaned toward Jessie and whispered in her ear, "Umm, Jess? Maybe we should go before we get blasted off again." Meowth nodded his head in agreement, managing to hear, even despite James' hushed tone of voices.

"No." Jessie responded coldly through gritted teeth, her eyes never leaving the group in front of them. The group that'd caused their many, _many_ failures

Both James and Meowth looked surprised and slightly afraid of Jessie's tone of voice. They'd never seen her like this before...

"What do you mean no, Jess? Let's just get out of-" Meowth tried to speak but was cut off.

"NO! I am sick of always losing! We will not lose this time!" Jessie screamed while she reached behind her back.

What she pulled out surprised and scared everyone, even her own teammates. "J-Jessie...Why do you have a gun?" James asked, terrified of what Jessie might do.

Jessie simply ignored her partner's question and spoke to the group in front of her, the gun pointed directly at May. "So girly, you think we're just a bunch of screw ups, huh?"

She then turned her attention to Ash. "Well how about this, twerp. Either you hand over your Pikachu, or I shoot."

Ash instinctively wrapped an arm around May's shoulder. Everyone was terrified. Dawn and Misty were crying and even Paul had a look of absolute horror and shock on his face. Though, no one was more scared than May in this moment.

She was shaking, absolutely terrified of what was happening. Her eyes were wide and tears were falling freely down her face. She did feel a bit safer once Ash put an arm around her, but this didn't completely rid her of the fear. That wouldn't happen until the gun was gone

The only two with emotionless faces were Ash and Jessie.

"You. Will. Not. Hurt her." Ash said in a deadly calm.

Jessie smirked, taking Ash's words as a challenge of sorts. "Oh yeah? Just watch me."

As if time had slowed down, Ash sensed Jessie's finger start curling around the trigger, in which time Ash hugged May and covered her entire body with his, shielding her from harm.

_'___Bang___'_

_'___Bang___'_

The sound of gunfire made many shout in fear as they watched the scene unfold. Jessie had only been able to fire two shots before she was tackled and restrained by James and Meowth.

"What have you done!?" Meowth screamed. "We're not killers!" Jessie struggled against James' grip but he was just too strong for her.

After she stopped struggling so much, Jessie spoke angrily, "This is a new Team Rocket! We must do whatever has to be done."

Ash had continued holding onto May for a few seconds after the bullets were shot. Seeing this, everyone felt grateful that she must have missed. They couldn't believe the luck of it. She'd been so close, so it was hard to believe that she'd missed.

But as quickly as this feeling of relief came, it was stolen away as they watched Ash slide down May's body, ending up face first in the ground. This pointed to the obvious...

Jessie _hadn't_ missed.

"Ash!" Brock was the first to react as he rushed over to his closest friend. Paul and Max, looks of terror adorning both of their faces, rushed over not long after. Pikachu, who was stunned, eventually ran over to Ash as well with tears already welling up in his eyes.

Brock moved to inspect the wounds as soon as he reached his downed friend. He quickly noticed that one bullet had it him in his right shoulder and the other...looked to have been dangerously to close to where his heart was located on the other side of his body.

Brock then checked for a pulse and was incredibly relieved to find one, even if it was faint and almost certainly getting weaker the longer he went without help.

Ash was losing blood fast. Something had to be done. Both himself and Paul began applying pressure to the wounds as Max watched on in terror from just behind the two men.

Misty was balling her eyes out, sitting on her knees. Dawn and Serena were hugging one another both crying more than either of them ever had before, both in fear and despair. They were both too afraid, too shocked to rush to Ash's aid or even look in his direction. Just the thought of looking over at Ash, only to see him... gone terrified them almost to the point of hysteria. They didn't know what to do. The panic rushed over them both as they continued to sob.

May was stuck in the position she'd been in when Ash had shielded her. She had a blank expression on her face as she stared straight ahead, her expression flat. She couldn't comprehend what was happening. Panic slowly but surely spread throughout her body. She finally adjusted her eyes as they locked on to where Ash was laying. Seeing him face down, lying in a pool of his own blood finally snapped her out of her trance.

It wasn't long before the first tear fell from her eye, followed closely by many more after that as she realized what'd just happened.

Ash had taken a bullet for her.

* * *

**A/N: Wow. Now that was a LONG chapter. Probably the longest one this story will have. I would have stopped this chapter much earlier, but in the previous authors note, I promised a taste of what the new Team Rocket is willing to do and well...you saw it. Next chapter should be up soon, but I start school Tuesday, so I'll most likely be getting chapters up on the weekends.**

**What's going to happen to Ash? Find out next chapter! See Ya!**


	3. Answers and Hope

****A/N: Hey guys! Make sure to read the authors note at the end. It's kind of important!****

* * *

A Trial of Will

The overwhelming feeling of panic hung densely in the air. Most were frozen, but Brock and Paul had moved to Ash's side and were doing their best to put pressure on the bullet wounds in order to slow the bleeding.

Misty, Dawn and Serena never found relief from the waterworks that kept pouring from their eyes, but they knew that if they wanted to save Ash, then they needed to be strong and help however they could.

Coming to a silent agreement with each other, they rushed to Ash's side, doing their best not to get in Brock and Paul's way. It wasn't until they reached the boy's downed body that they realized that there was no way they were going to be able to help at the moment; they had no idea what they could do. All they could do was rely on the others and hope that they knew how to handle this. They trusted Brock especially, but they doubted he'd ever been in a situation like this before.

Seeing Ash in the state he was in up close caused the sense of dread the three women were feeling to intensify tenfold. They felt their breathing deepen, choking back twice the amount of tears as before.

Dawn and Serena eventually succumbed to the overwhelming attack of emotions and dropped to their knees, convulsing in terror. Misty wasn't in a much better state, but she managed to hold her footing.

May stood, still frozen in place, not even so much as blinking. The only thing suggesting she was even alive and not just some kind of statue were the plethora of tears flowing down her face.

Her mind was a jumbled mess at the moment. She knew what'd just happened, but she couldn't seem to actually believe it. She just couldn't fathom what'd just happened. Along with this, another thought was ever present in her mind

That would be her on the ground, slowly losing her life, had Ash not protected her.

"__Ash___"_

He'd saved her...and now he could potentially lose his life because of it. This thought served to cause May to cry even harder.

Pikachu held a slightly different emotion than the others at the moment. He was quite literally seething, a blinding rage overtaking any fear and sadness he may have felt. He stared down Team Rocket and sparked his cheeks aggressively. James looked up from his position on top of Jessie, only to be met with the sight of the snarling Pikachu.

"Pikachu listen to me, Meowth and I had no idea what Jessie was planning to do; we didn't know she had a gun. I...I am so sorry, Pikachu. I swear on my life I'm telling the truth, I am so sorry."

James and Meowth couldn't believe what Jessie had done. Shocked, appalled, terrified were just some of the feelings running through the minds of the two male members of the Team Rocket trio. Before this event, they could hardly even be considered thieves. But now, Jessie very well might have just become a murderer.

Pikachu's boiling indignation caused anything James had said to fall on deaf ears, his anger and hatred only continuing to grow the longer he looked at the trio.

Jessie turned her head, still under James and Meowth in order to look Pikachu in the eyes. Even despite all that was happening, she was smirking. "Looks like you're going to be needing a new trainer."

That was the last straw.

Pikachu gathered up all the electrical energy he could and released the most powerful thunder attack most anyone had ever seen.

"PIII KAAAA CHUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

The attack was blinding, seemingly brighter than the sun itself. If it wasn't for the fact that they'd seen the attack come from a Pikachu, they would have thought it'd came from a legendary pokemon such as Zapdos or Zekrom.

Team Rocket blasted through the air, scorched and completely unconscious. If they survived that ferocious attack, it would be a miracle.

Only a few members of the group even took notice of what happened to the Rocket trio; most couldn't tear their eyes off of Ash's downed body.

"Brock, the bleeding isn't stopping! What are we going to do?" Paul asked frantically.

Brock removed his hand and motioned for Paul to do the same. Brock quickly pulled Ash's shirt up, allowing himself a good look at Ash's wounds. They were both still pumping out blood at an alarming rate.

Brock mumbled some obscenities, all the while trying to work out a plan. "Okay... Paul, we have to get him to Professor Oak's lab. He should have some equipment that we can use to help stop the bleeding. We have to pick him up and carry him very gently. If the bullet is as close to his heart as I think it is, we have to be _extremely _careful."

Paul nodded and prepped himself to lift Ash. Before they did however, Brock turned to Misty. "I need you to run back to Ash's house and tell his mom what happened. Bring her up to the lab as soon as you can."

Misty barely managed to register the command, but when she did she nodded and took off running toward the house.

"Alright Paul on three, we lift. Ready? One. Two. Three!" Brock spoke, struggling as he lifted and did his best to support Ash's torso while Paul hefted his legs.

"We need to hurry before we're too late. Max, try and get your sister to move! We don't have time for this!" Paul exclaimed as they began toward Professor Oak's lab.

Apparently, Dawn and Serena had been coherent enough to notice everyone leaving as they followed the others toward the lab.

Pikachu was close behind. Now that he had let out his anger on the rocket trio, all he felt was anguish. Tears streamed down his red cheeks as he ran alongside Brock and Paul.

By now, Max had gathered himself to the best of his ability and focused on his mission; he had to be strong for Ash, just as he always was when one of them was in trouble.

He sprinted over to his sister, sighing sadly at seeing the state she was in, "Oh May..." He mumbled to himself.

"May, we have to get to the lab. We need to see if there's anything we can do to help Ash!"

May didn't respond, the blank stare on her face never once faltering. Tears sill continued to stream down her face.

Max realized it was going to take a lot to snap his sister out of this state of shock. He grabbed his sister by the shoulders and started shaking her. "May! We have to go! Come on!"

It was useless, May still wasn't budging. Max sighed, trying the last thing he could think of.

__'SMACK'__

Max resorted to slapping his sister in the face, hoping it would break her out of the state she was in. "May! Get a hold of yourself! Unless you want Ash _to ___die__, we need to get moving!"

The combination of the slap and the urgency in her brother's words made May's legs start to move. At first she was jogging, but soon, she was in a dead sprint toward Oak's lab.

Max kept up with his sister's pace, glad that she wasn't frozen anymore. He could tell that she wasn't completely free from the shock she was feeling, but she'd at least recognized the urgency to get to Oak's lab. He just hoped that she would be okay...

Due to their head start and the siblings' quick pace, the two parties reached the entrance to the lab at the same time. Serena flung the door open with urgency and allowed Brock and Paul, with Ash in their grasp, to enter first.

"Professor Oak! We need you! NOW!" Brock screamed at the top of his lungs. Tracy, Oak's assistant and Ash's old friend from the Orange Islands, heard the yell and came running to the entrance.

"Brock? Whats going-" Tracy tried to question Brock but when he saw Ash bleeding in his arms, he cut himself off, his eyes widening before he rushed to get the professor.

Near the back of the lab's first floor, Max cleared off a table that was normally used for the larger Pokemon's check-ups. Ash was set down on this table as Oak appeared through the door way.

"Why is everyone screaming? Tracy told me something was wrong?" Oak questioned. He didn't need an answer, however, as he saw Ash on one of his lab tables, a pool of blood quickly forming underneath him. The older man then laid his eyes on Brock, who's clothes were stained completely red.

Oak felt the panic rush through his system, but as quickly as he could, he pushed it aside, something he'd learned to do after working with pokemon for so long. His priority was helping Ash, the person he considered a grandson; he could panic later. As for now, he had work to do.

Oak quickly put on some rubber gloves and began to cut Ash's shirt and jacket off with a pair of medical scissors.

"Somebody tell me what happened." Oak appeared to be calm and collected. He had to be when he dealt with pokemon emergencies as much as he did. He assured himself that this situation was no different, but in the back of his mind, he knew it was.

It was very different.

Brock, who had kept his cool during almost the entirety of the experience, was finally starting to lose it. He spoke to Oak with tears falling from his eyes, "Professor... T-Team Rocket...and the gun... Ash..."

Brock couldn't string a sentence along, the panic he had been fending off finally beginning to overtake him.

Oak rushed over and placed his hands on the man's shoulders "Brock! I need you to stay with me! I can't save Ash without your help. You need to stay calm."

Brock wiped his tears and gathered himself, once again recognizing the urgency of the situation. "You're right professor... He has two bullet wounds. One in the shoulder and one near his heart. Both bullets entered from the back and I didn't see any exit wounds."

"How long since he was shot." Oak asked while inspecting the wounds.

"About 4 minutes." Max responded, looking at his watch.

Oak cursed to himself as he weighed his options. It was just a few moments later he came to a conclusion. "Brock...I know your just a pokemon doctor and I'm only a professor... but we're going to have to operate on him right now."

Everyone's eyes widened, Brock's especially as he was so incredibly shocked by the professor's words. "What! Professor Oak...I c-can't I-"

"Brock, if we don't do this... Ash _will_ die, there are no if's and's or but's about it. The nearest hospital is in Viridian and by the time we got Ash there, he'd be long dead." Oak's words, although true, made everyone's fear intensify.

Brock wiped the nervous look off of his face and replaced it with one of determination. He was the only other person who could do this, "Okay...Just tell me what to do."

Oak asked everyone to leave the lab except for himself, Brock and Tracy. Complying hesitantly, everyone took their leave, allowing the men space to take out the shrapnel, stop the bleeding, and most importantly...

Save Ash's life.

Now that everything was out of their hands, the group allowed their emotions to overtake them completely. Even Paul was shedding tears at the possibility of losing the person whom he considered his best friend.

With everyone caught up in their own little worlds, no one noticed Misty and Delia running towards the lab at breakneck speeds. It wasn't until the last moment that Paul looked up, having to stop Delia from rushing into the lab.

She was crying hysterically and fighting against Paul's grip, trying to get inside the doors. "Where's my baby!? Let me see him! Let me go! I have to see him! He needs me!"

Paul, whom was struggling with controlling his own emotions, now had to do his best to calm Delia down. "Delia! Delia please try to relax. They're operating on him right now. I know they aren't surgeons, but you have to have faith in Brock and Professor Oak! You have to have faith!"

He wasn't sure what it was that he'd said, but something made her calm down, at least physically. Instead of fighting against Paul's grasp, she fell to her knees and continued crying hysterically. Seeing their best friend's mother like this just added to everyone's sorrow.

45 minutes passed without a single word being said. Every soul present took part in nothing but crying and praying that Ash would be okay. One by one, people slowly began to run out of tears. They tried to cry, but their bodies couldn't produce enough tears to keep up.

"Someone... please...tell me what happened. Tell me what happened to my Ashy." Delia muttered quietly. However, it was loud enough to be heard by the entirety of the group. Max decided to take the lead.

"Team Rocket showed up again and tried to steal Pikachu. One of them pulled out a... a gun and threatened to shoot May. The woman went to shoot her, but Ash shielded her, he protected her. Ash, he...he saved her life."

May dropped down to Delia's level and somehow found the tears to start crying again. "Delia, I'm so sorry! If it wasn't for me, Ash wouldn't be in there right now. It should have been me!"

May was hysterical, her overwhelming emotions pouring out of her.

May wasn't sure what she was expecting from the young mother after what she'd just said, but one thing was for sure, it certainly wasn't to have Delia pull her into a tight embrace.

"May, listen to me...don't you ever, _ever_ blame yourself for what happened today. This is in no way your fault. Ash saw you in danger and _he _made the choice to put himself in harm's way. The choice that you are more important to him than his own safety, his own life. He was just being himself. Ash is always willing to put protecting someone he cares about before his own life and he's shown that again today. I promise you, May...this is not your fault." Delia spoke calmly, but firmly. She needed May to understand that she was speaking the truth.

May managed to find the strength to give a half smile and hug Delia again, this time for even longer. While in the hug, May whispered in Delia's ear. "He'll be okay...I know it."

The two silently broke the embrace and nodded to each other.

As they stood, they noticed everyone's eyes were red, especially Pikachu's. He had been trying to fight out of Dawn's grasp for nearly 30 minutes, obviously wanting to be with Ash during his surgery. Though after a while, he'd finally worn himself out and simply just cried with the rest of the group.

Everyone stood in silence once again, no one knowing exactly what to say. It was finally broken by Misty. "You know, Ash is going to be okay. He's risked his life in the past more times than I can count and he's always made it out each and every time. This is just another one of those situations."

"Yeah, like when he saved the Sea Temple!" Max said, a small smile on his face as he recalled Ash's heroics on that day.

It was an incredibly strange feeling; May's heart both sunk and fluttered at the mention of this. She recalled that today wasn't the first time that Ash had saved her life. He'd done it for her a number of times in the past as well and while it made her feel incredibly cared for and incredibly loved, the more overwhelming feeling was that of responsibility for putting him in these situations. However, as time passed, the feeling of Ash caring so greatly for her began to win over and a small smile spread across her face as she realized just how much he meant to Ash for him to be so willing to give up his life for her. This thought made her heart practically beat out of her chest, as well as causing a few more tears to stream down her face.

"He once saved me from falling to my death. I can never repay him for that. And I can't even list all the other times he's been there to save me." Dawn reminisced.

Now that this topic had been brought up, to pass the time, most everyone told past stories of how Ash had saved their lives, all the while risking his own. After a good amount of time, the conversation began to die down. Though as it did, Serena was thinking of something she should've realized sooner. Something she'd always known, but never really had said out loud

"Ash is a hero." Serena mumbled quietly, seemingly to herself.

"What was that Serena?" Max asked on behalf of everyone.

Serena raised her head and addressed the group, "I said that Ash is a hero. He's a true, 100 percent, real life superhero. He's literally saved every one of our lives at some point or another...he's even saved the world on more than one occasion! He's put his life on the line for all of us more times than I can even count! To be heroic is to be courageous enough to die for something...Ash is willing to die for each and every one of us. If that doesn't make him a hero, then I don't know what does."

As Serena looked around, she saw that everyone instantly agreed with what she'd said. Ash was a hero to them all. He was always brave in the face of fear. He was always strong when no one else could be.

But this time, they were the one's that had to be strong for him.

Just then, the doors to the lab opened, revealing a slightly bloody Professor Oak. Everyone felt sick to their stomach as they saw this; they knew very well who's blood that was. Despite the slight feeling of nausea, they all rushed to Oak with hopes of good news rushing through them.

"Professor, please tell me he's going to be alright." May pleaded, her voice breaking as she spoke; she couldn't remember a time when she'd been more desperate in her life. If Ash were to die from protecting her, she would never be able to live with herself.

"I apologize, but that's not why I came out here." Was Oak's only response. "Delia, I need to know Ash's blood type, and quickly. He's lost a lot of blood and he needs a transfusion. We removed the bullet fragments and stopped the bleeding, but he has lost about half of his blood, more than enough to cause his body to shut down."

Terrified looks overtook everyone once again as Delia responded frantically, "Ash is AB negative, same as me. Take as much blood as you need Professor, just save my baby."

"That's perfect Delia, go inside and go to Tracy, he'll be taking the blood." With that, Delia rushed inside the building. "Now, please tell me that someone else has AB negative or O type blood. We can't safely take as much blood as Ash needs from Delia. We're going to need one more person."

Everyone looked around, hoping to spot a raised hand or to see someone step forward. They soon realized however that it was a lost cause, the rest of the group either didn't know their blood type or weren't a match. It was beginning to look almost hopeless for Ash and everyone knew it. The tears quickly returned once again.

"Professor Oak?" The Professor heard Brock's voice from behind him. The older man turned around, only to be met with the sight of an incredibly determined Brock in front of him."I'm AB negative. You're going to have to handle Ash from here because I am not taking no for an answer. I want you to take as much blood as you need from me... just save my brother."

Oak nodded his head immediately and returned to the lab with Brock in tow. A collective sigh was let out amongst the group remaining outside.

Dawn had set Pikachu down a while ago and he was still looking as upset as can be. May noticed this and decided to try and cheer him up.

"Hey Pikachu, you know Ash is going to pull through, right? He would never leave you behind like this, he loves you to much." May said with a forced smile through her tear stained face. And while she was trying to cheer pikachu up, her voice was still almost completely broken.

"Pika Pika Pikachu..." Pikachu responded sadly. It was obvious May's talk wasn't helping; she had to try something else.

"Here Pikachu, I think there's someone that might be able to keep you company while we wait for Ash to get better."

With that said, May reached for a pokeball and released Glaceon. After being told the situation by May, her features went downcast as she approached Pikachu.

"Gla Glaceon." Glaceon said shyly to Pikachu.

Pikachu looked up in surprise. He didn't want to look so weak in front of Glaceon, but there was no way he could hide how he was feeling at the moment. Instead of responding, Pikachu walked up to Glaceon and hugged her for all she was worth. Glaceon licked Pikachu's cheek in return as the two sat down and cuddled close to each other as Pikachu cried.

May looked on and felt as glad as she could with the current situation that Glaceon was able to help Pikachu, if only just slightly. The group all sat down in silence and waited...it was the only thing left for them to do.

After another hour and a half of waiting in silence, both Professor Oak and Tracey walked out, garnering the undivided attention of everyone, who sprung to their feet as soon as they made themselves known.

Seeing everyone's expectant eyes, Oak sighed and addressed the group, "Ash is one hell of a fighter, I can tell you that much. He's still hanging in there, even after losing so much blood. We did the transfusion and it seemed to got well from what I could tell. The bullet in his shoulder was no cause for alarm, but the one near his heart managed to nick an artery, that's why he lost so much blood so quickly."

Everyone's eyes filled with terror upon hearing the news. Oak, seeing this, continued. "I managed to sew up the artery and remove the bullet shrapnel that luckily didn't hit his heart. Ash is alive... at least, for now."

"W-What do you mean by that professor?" Paul asked on behalf of the group, fear evident in his voice.

Oak sighed again, "If I had to guess... I'd say Ash has a 50/50 shot, and even worse chances that he'll ever wake up again." Oak finished, his voice breaking toward the end. This was not something he wanted to be saying, but he knew that trying to sugarcoat this would only make things worse

Everyone's eyes welled up with tears for what seemed like the millionth time that day. The prospect of losing Ash was becoming much too real and it hit them all incredibly hard.

"C-Can we see him?" Serena asked, her voice pleading as she was trying to fight back the tears. At least, just long enough for her to ask this question.

"I don't see why not. Follow me." Oak said sadly as he, and a weeping Tracey led the way.

As everyone entered the lab, they saw various machines along with shelves full of books. However, the back of the lab seemed to have been turned into a makeshift hospital room. As they passed them by, everyone spotted both Brock and Delia, asleep on beds normally used for recovering Pokemon. Both of them looked extremely pale.

"Professor...they're going to be okay, right?" Max asked timidly, gesturing to Delia and Brock.

"Yes, of course, Max. We had to take quite a bit of blood from the both of them though, so they're very tired. They just need a lot of fluids and some rest in order to get their strength back." Tracey said, recovering from his weeping episode. Max sighed in relief; at least something was looking hopeful.

Eventually, Oak lead the gang to a bed which currently housed Ash. Despite the new blood coursing through his veins, he still appeared significantly paler than normal. The only movement he was making was the involuntary movement of his chest that rose and fell with each breath. Each shallow breath.

No one was used to seeing Ash in such a fragile state. It was more than enough to cause Serena, May and Dawn to begin to weep silently once again. Seeing the strongest person any of them had every known looking so weak broke their hearts and scared them to their cores.

Most everyone pulled up a seat to just sit with Ash and pray to Arceus that he would wake up and be okay. Serena claimed one hand into hers while May claimed the other. Dawn was perfectly content running her hand through his unruly black hair.

The only sound heard for a long time was the heartbeat monitor, doing its best to reassure everyone that Ash was still with them.

After about an hour, Oak told everyone they should go home and get some rest and that they could return in the morning. After some coaxing, everyone agreed to go. That being said, nobody was enthused to be leaving his side; the girls almost had to be dragged away but they eventually relented, not wanting to make things harder for anyone by being defiant. It seemed everyone walked out of the lab while looking over their shoulder; they had to keep an eye on Ash right up until the moment they left.

The group returned to the house at around eight o clock, late for dinner, though Paul still suggested it. However, no one was hungry, not in the slightest. Everyone just wanted to go to bed. It wasn't all that hard to convince anyone to simply skip dinner, especially since neither Brock nor Delia were there.

And so everyone went off to their separate rooms. Because of the stress of the day, it didn't take long at all for people to periodically start to fall asleep.

Paul, Max and Misty were out almost immediately, somehow pushing the terrifying thoughts out of their minds long enough to fall into slumber. The stress of the day had really taken a huge toll on them and they really needed rest.

However, May, Dawn and Serena all just laid in their respective beds, unable to fall asleep. Every time they closed their eyes, they saw Ash, pale and weak, bleeding... It was better to just keep their eyes open but even then, they still saw images of Ash in floating across their minds.

May lay gazing at her half of the Terracotta ribbon for what had to have been hours. Every few minutes, she would look to the couch across from her where Ash was supposed to be sleeping right this very moment, imagining that he was there, keeping her awake with his light snoring. Even though she was told not to, she still felt partially responsible for what'd happened.

May couldn't get over the fact that Ash had taken a bullet for her. Her mind couldn't seem to grasp the idea that someone could be so selfless, even after all the times that he'd risked his own life to save hers in the past. Even with having seen his selfless acts many times, it was still almost hard to believe that a personas incredible as Ash existed in real life. May then thought back to all the times that Ash had been there to protect her.

So many times... it was so many times that she'd lost count. May couldn't help but smile at this.

Ash was her guardian and he cared about her enough to die for her. To him, her life was even more important than his own. May recognized the incredibly deep level of care that this mindset took, and Ash had it.

He had it for her.

May was no longer confused about her feelings for the raven haired trainer, not in the slightest. At first, she'd thought that her crush that she'd had on him while they were traveling together had simply never gone away, but she realized now that this wasn't exactly the case. After taking all this time to think about Ash and what he'd done for her, she was sure now...

She was in love with him. She had been for a very long time.

May Maple was madly, deeply in love with Ash Ketchum

Now that she realized it, she felt stupid for ever doubting that her feelings were anything less than true love. It wasn't just how he would risk his life for her, it was all the little things as well. How he would always support her, how he would make her laugh, his smile. Everything that he was screamed perfection to her. Now that she knew, May couldn't understand how she hadn't realized this sooner. All those years of missing him...she now knew that she'd loved him all along.

Everything Ash had ever done for the three girls were constantly running through their minds on this night. They all knew Ash would always be there for them, constantly helping them out and simply being someone they could depend on for anything, but they never realized just how much he had done until they really took this time to think about it. It wasn't hard to believe that the girls came to the same conclusion about the raven haired boy...

He was by far the most important person in any of their lives.

That was the thought that Dawn especially was focusing on. Her Mom was right, and she knew that now. She had incredibly deep feelings for Ash, and she always had, ever since they'd first met. Like May, she'd originally thought that she simply still had a crush on him from back when they were traveling together.

But after thinking about everything, the word "crush" definitely did not accurately describe what Dawn felt for the raven haired man.

Not even close

Dawn knew that had she been in May's shoes earlier today, Ash would've done the same thing for her. It was that selflessness, among all of his other amazing qualities, that made Dawn realize that she too was deeply in love with him.

And like May, she was incredibly mad at herself for not recognizing her feelings sooner; her love for him had always been there, it seemed she was just too afraid to acknowledge it.

It was well past midnight at this point and Dawn was fairly confident that everyone would be asleep by now. With her newly realized love for the raven haired boy, she had the strongest desire to be by his side; to be honest, she couldn't think of anything she'd ever wanted more. With a plan in mind, she stood from her cot and prepared to leave the house to go to the lab.

She had made it into the hallway and was just about to head down the stairs when she heard a whisper from behind her.

"What are you doing, Dawn?" The bluenette jumped, having to hold in a squeal a to not wake anyone up, before recognizing the voice as Serena's.

Daw calmed herself down once she recognized her blonde haired friend in the darkness. After Dawn recovered, she addressed Serena.

"I could ask you the same thing." Dawn replied, noticing Serena also had her slippers on her feet.

"I-I just... really wanted to see Ash, okay? I'm really scared for him." Serena responded shyly.

Dawn sighed in response. She'd really wanted to go see Ash alone, but it was obvious that Serena was going to come whether she liked it or not.

"I was going to do the same thing... Let's just go together, and do your best not wake anyone else up." Dawn smiled at her friend as they made their way down the stairs and out the front door.

Neither girl had bothered to look to see if May was still awake, though they probably should have. That way, they would've seen that her couch was currently unoccupied...

It was a bit frightening for the two young women to be walking around at midnight, even in a place like Pallet Town; after what'd happened, who could blame them for being slightly afraid. Though, both of them had their pokemon and were confident that should anything happen, that they could handle it. And luckily, they ran into no trouble whilst on the walk.

They arrived at the lab and tried the doors. Surprisingly, the doors opened without a problem. They'd kind of expected the door to be locked, but didn't stop to question it as they entered the dark building quietly.

They made their way to where Ash was, noticing Brock and Delia sleeping peacefully on their way. It was slightly difficult to navigate, since they had to keep the lights off as to stay as hidden as possible. Luckily, having been in the dark for so long had forced their eyes to adjust, giving them at least some vision.

Finally, they could see Ash's bed just 10 feet ahead of them. Both Dawn and Serena paused however, when they realized that the boy wasn't alone, something they'd definitely not been expecting.

Both Dawn and Serena hid behind a nearby bookshelf, watching and listening to May talk to a still unconscious Ash.

She was standing near Ash's head, looking over his face as she spoke to the unconscious trainer.

"What is she doing here?" Serena asked quietly to her bluenette friend.

"She probably felt the same as we did." Dawn reasoned, knowing May well as they were good friends. "Now shhh, I'm trying to listen."

As they listened closer, they could hear May speaking to Ash in a hushed tone.

"...I'm so sorry this happened, Ash. I'll never be able to thank you enough for saving me. Again. I'll never be able to repay you for what you did. I know you've already done so much for me, but there's still one more thing I need you to do for me..." May choked on her words, forcing her to pause and compose herself before she could continue.

"...I need you to wake up. I realize now how important you are to me, and I know now that I won't be able to live without you. You have to wake up, Ash!" May sobbed, her eyes quickly producing tears. "I need you here with me. I need you more than anything! Now please keep fighting and wake up."

May finished by placing a kiss on his forehead. The brunette then pulled up a chair, this time to the side of the bed, and rested her head on the mattress. With the comfort that Ash's presence provided to her, sleep came almost instantly.

Behind the bookcase, both Dawn and Serena's mouths were hanging wide open.

"Di-Did she just..." Dawn mumbled, more than surprised that May had kissed Ash. She looked to Serena, hoping she understood what she was trying to say, but all Serena did was let a few tears fall, her mouth agape.

Dawn again gasped in surprise. Why would Serena be crying? Being exhausted and having too many things going on in her head to worry about it, she chalked the tears up to seeing Ash again.

Noticing that May was already asleep, both girls shook out whatever thoughts were in their heads and walked silently over to Ash. Turning off the lamp that illuminated Ash's bedside and, following May's lead, the two women pulled up chairs and rested their heads on the bed, falling into the depths of their dreams with Ash by their sides.

No matter what else was going on, being there for Ash was the most important thing at the moment. All that mattered right now was that Ash needed to wake up.

And soon.

* * *

__Somewhere on the North Side of The Forest Near Pallet__

Jessie, James and Meowth all lay spread out on the ground, singed from head to toe. Most of the hair on Jessie's head was singed and burned; obviously, she'd received the brunt of the attack.

All these hours later, the rocket members were just now coming to. Meowth was the first to awaken.

"Ugh...what happened?" Meowth asked himself while rubbing his head in pain. Almost immediately after he said this, memories of the day came flooding back into his mind.

He looked over toward Jessie, who was currently still unconscious. James on the other hand, was starting to awaken.

"James, Are you okay over there?" Meowth whispered to his friend and partner.

"I-I think so." James responded, obviously in pain. "But I can't remember anything..."

Meowth took the time to explain all that happened during the day and slowly but surely, everything came back to James. During Meowth's explanation, Jessie had awoken, furious about her hair, but relatively okay overall. She silently listened to Meowth talk about how she went 'crazy' and 'lost her mind'.

"Thank Arceus that we survived that Thunder attack. I've never seen anything that powerful, let alone felt it." Meowth finished, recapping everything as James nodded in agreement.

Jessie looked at her two partners in anger, remembering exactly what'd happened. How dare they try to stop her from finishing the job? She yelled to get their attention.

"Hey morons?! Why did you stop me from finishing off the rest of the twerps?" Jessie screamed, startling both James and Meowth.

James soon recovered and put on a brave face, "Because you shouldn't have been doing that in the first place! Have you lost your damn mind!? For all we know, Ash could be dead right now! We aren't murderers, Jessie!"

"Oh, so he's 'Ash' now, huh? You're all buddy buddy with the twerp? Is that why you stopped me?" Jessie responded, even angrier than before.

Meowth took control of the conversation this time, "No! But we don't want to kill him! What is wrong with you!? Why did you do it Jessie!? And where did you even get that gun!?"

"The boss gave me the gun! And do you want to know why he gave me a gun and not either of you? It's because you two are nothing more than a couple of IDIOTS who do nothing but drag me, and the rest of the organization, down." Jessie exclaimed, letting her true feelings be known.

Both James and Meowth's mouths dropped open upon hearing this, not being able to believe just how much Jessie had changed in seemingly no time at all.

Jessie scoffed at their expressions and continued, "Giovanni gave__me __the order to kill the twerp and anyone else who might get in the way. He knew he couldn't trust you two with even just the information of what he wanted me to do."

James and Meowth were even more surprised at this, with the former speaking once again in bewilderment. "But why Jessie? Why would he call for such a thing? And why would you accept this kind of mission?"

"Because, not only have _we been defeated _countless times by the twerp, he has also managed to stop many other Team Rocket plans in the past. Giovanni sees him as a threat to the organization and wants him eliminated before he can thwart any more of Team Rocket's plans. As I said before, this is a new Team Rocket, willing to do anything to get what they want...and if the situation calls for it, that includes killing." Jessie finished with a cold smirk.

James and Meowth were shocked and terrified by how their partner was acting and what she was saying. Jessie had definitely changed over the years, but more so recently than anytime in the past. At first, they were all in it for each other, coming together after each of them faced their own personal hardships in their lives but as time progressed, Jessie became more and more cold and controlling while James and Meowth were starting to question why they were even in the evil organization anymore.

They often found themselves disagreeing with what the organization was doing. And now, with the new 'killing' policy, both James and Meowth knew they couldn't take it anymore.

"Well then Jessie, if that's how Team Rocket is going to work from now on, then I quit. I can't do this anymore, I can't be a part of something so...evil." James said, slightly afraid of the reaction he would get from Jessie. That being said, he knew that he needed to say this to who was now his former partner.

"I'm with James. Giovanni is a psychopath and so is anybody that associates themselves with whatever this...this _new_ Team Rocket is!" Meowth agreed vehemently.

With them expecting Jessie to get mad and maybe even physical, they were incredibly surprised when they heard Jessie begin laughing.

"HAHAHA! You think I need you two clowns?! Good riddance! If it wasn't for you, I could have made sure I finished the job." Jessie shouted.

James and Meowth shot Jessie a look of disbelief and disgust. In his last act as a member of the criminal organization, James took off his Team Rocket shirt and threw it on the ground, spatting on it before him and Meowth began walking toward Viridian City.

Jessie payed no attention to the two leaving as she was busy typing a number on a new device being manufactured in the pokemon world. It allowed people to call each other from wherever they were by using a satellite in space. She thought she remembered them calling it a 'cellular phone', or something like that; she just felt lucky that team Rocket had managed to threaten the manufacturers of this device so that they could get them without them being released to the public.

Jessie dialed the number for Giovanni's office and soon, his picture appeared on the phone's small screen.

"Giovanni, Sir!" Jessie saluted.

"Ahh, Jessie. So how did our little plan go?" Giovanni asked with a maniacal grin.

Jessie's face paled as she realized that she wasn't actually certain if she had succeeded or not. "S-Sir, I'm actually not sure if he is dead or not. His Pikachu sent us flying before I could tell... I definitely shot him though! And from what I could tell, I hit him pretty close to his heart."

Giovanni seemed to think for a moment before sighing, "Very well. I suppose you did your best. If he wasn't killed, I don't think we'll be able to go to him to try again like we did here... We're going to have to get him to come to us. You, James and Meowth need to get back to HQ asap."

"Umm, about that...after James and Meowth found out about the plan, they kind of...quit." Jessie said nervously, not knowing ow Giovanni was going to respond to the news.

Giovanni sighed once again. Event though he hated the two, the leader of Team Rocket still disliked members quitting the organization. "I had a feeling that might happen, that's why I didn't tell them of the plan in the first place. No matter, they were expendable agents anyways. Now return to HQ, we have much planning to do if we are going to lure Ketchum to us. Since we don't know if he's dead, we have to be ready for that case."

"Do have any ideas?" Jessie asked, intrigued. As much as she despised him, Jessie knew that Ash Ketchum was as tough as they come, so she knew they definitely had to be ready for if he managed to survive.

"I'm sure me and Ghetsis can come up with something." Giovanni said with a malicious smirk. With that, he hung up the phone, leaving Jessie totally alone in the darkness of night.

* * *

__Professor____Oak's____Lab__

It was early in the morning, about seven a.m, and Samuel Oak was already prepared for the day. He was currently drinking his coffee in the living quarters section of the lab. The only thing on his to do list for today was to monitor Ash. He was praying that he would pull through, and he was ready to do anything he could to make that happen.

Professor Oak had considered having Ash moved to Viridian City Hospital, but dismissed the idea quickly. Moving Ash in the state he was in was much too risky. The surgery was performed well, especially considering that himself and Brock weren't actual surgeons, but he still didn't want to risk anything. He decided it would be best to wait to see if he improved before moving him anywhere; he had all necessary devices here after all.

As he transitioned from the living quarters to the lab, he spotted Delia and Brock, still resting peacefully. He smiled to himself, knowing that they would both be feeling good as new as soon as they woke up. His eyes then drifted to where Ash was.

Oak's eyes widened in surprise when he saw that Ash was not alone. A knowing smirk then made its way to his face as he took in the scene completely. There, sleeping with their heads resting on his bed, were Dawn, Serena and May.

Thinking about it now, he should have known that they wouldn't be able to stay away from Ash for long, especially not when he was in the state he was in. He wastheir best friend after all.

Oak was planning on letting the party sleep for a while longer, but as he was walking to check Ash's vitals, he tripped and knocked over a pan that was holding the sterilized surgical equipment he had used the day before.

This loud clang woke not only the three girls nearest Ash, but Delia and Brock as well. As they rubbed the sleepiness from their eyes, they all looked toward the professor, who was laughing nervously at his misstep.

"Hehe, sorry about that." The professor apologized.

May's eyes widened in shock as she took in her surroundings, noticing that Serena and Dawn were also here, obviously having slept like she did with their heads on Ash's bed.

She couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed that the other girls had joined her during the night. However, she had more important things to worry about at the moment...Delia and Brock were waking up.

Delia yawned and looked toward her son along with Brock, hoping that just maybe, he'd be awake and all better somehow. They were both disappointed when the saw that this wasn't the case, but that feeling was quickly replaced with surprise as they saw him surrounded by his three beautiful traveling companions.

The three women, who were wide awake by this point, looked toward Delia and Brock with massive blushes adorning their faces, feelings of embarrassment filling their chests.

Delia's shocked face quickly turned to one of joy and delight as she continued to watch the scene. She was incredibly happy that Ash had such good friends that always wanted to be near him.

Sure, using her mother's intuition she knew that the three girls had more than likely recognized their feelings for her son, but she was simply happy that he had great people looking out for him, people that would always care for him.

Brock looked to be extremely jealous. Why couldn't he have three attractive women by his bedside waiting for him to wake up? Brock ended up crying anime tears.

"Well, good morning girls." Delia spoke happily with just a hint of a teasing tone present in her voice.

The girls all responded at once, albeit with embarrassment still evident in their voices. Delia couldn't help but chuckle at their responses.

"I'm sorry again for waking you, but there is some things I must check. If you girls could excuse me, I need to check Ash's vitals." Oak asked politely. A

ll the girls were hesitant to move, but complied in the end; it was obviously for the best that Ash was checked up on. They could last for a while without the comfort that being near him provided them.

Professor Oak checked everything, only to sigh at the results of his findings, "Well...the good news is nothing seems to be worse... but nothing is better either. At this rate, I'm not sure when he'll wake up...__if __he'll wake up"

Professor Oak didn't want to talk about the idea of Ash never waking up, but it was a very real possibility. As hard as it was to think about, it was something everyone had to be ready for...

The three girls were especially devastated by the news. The only one who still held a smile, a look of positivity on their face was Delia. This seemed more than odd to those around her. Very confused, Dawn spoke up.

"No offense Delia, but how could you be smiling right now? I mean, your son...Ash, he's... he's in a coma."

Although Dawn's tone was slightly rude, while also being filled with sadness, Delia didn't blame her; she could understand why. Though she did want to clear this up.

"The reason I'm smiling Dawn is because I know that Ash is going to pull through. I have total faith that he will wake up and when he does, I want the first thing he sees to be a smiling face." Delia explained the reason behind her smile.

Sure, it was hard for Delia to keep it up with all that was going on, but she knew she had to for her son. Plus, she truly did have complete confidence that Ash would get through this.

Delia's outlook on this whole situation was extremely refreshing. May, Dawn and Serena realized that they were going about this all wrong. They had to have faith in Ash, just as he did in all of them. That and a bit of luck was all that they needed for Ash to wake up. Now, even Professor Oak, the realist, believed that regardless of the odds, Ash would wake up.

"Hey professor Oak, do you think we should tell all of Ash's pokemon what happened? I think they deserve to know." Serena suggested. Ash's pokemon were a part of his family after all.

"I already took care of that after you all left yesterday. I gathered everybody up and told them everything. There was a lot of crying and heartache, but I reminded them that Ash was strong and told them to believe that he would pull through. They have total faith in him, just as you do."

Dawn checked Ash's belt, where he normally kept his pokeballs to see if Oak had included his current party in the explanation. Seeing no pokeballs on his belt, she assumed he did.

"Well, after giving all of that blood yesterday, I could go for a _big__ b_reakfast. I say we head over to the house and make a feast fit for royalty!" Brock spoke in a fake regal voice, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

The three girls were noticeably hesitant to leave Ash's side. Even though they were hungry, they wanted nothing more than to be with Ash; it was the only place that they'd felt any kind of comfort in the last 24 hours.

Noticing their reluctance, Delia spoke up, "Come on girls, Ash will be fine. You have to eat, and it won't take more than an hour. You can come right back here afterward."

"Yeah, Ash seems to be doing okay. I don't think we have anything to worry about for the time being. And Tracey will be here to make sure everything is okay" Oak helped assure everyone that everything would be fine, even during their momentary absence.

Serena sighed and spoke on behalf of the group, "Okay. Let's go eat."

May couldn't help but smile at the prospect of food, "Yeah! Hey Ash, I wonder which one of us will fini-"

May cut herself off as she realized that she was basically talking to herself, that Ash wouldn't be there with her this morning. She couldn't believe that she'd momentarily forgotten the situation.

Even the little things, such as the food races they shared, were some of the best times she had. This slip of the tongue reminded her just how badly she wanted him to wake up. How much she _needed_ him to wake up.

Instead of continuing where she left of, May could only try to hold back her tears and smile sadly. Without another word, the group left for the Ketchum residence

They quickly made it to the house for the big breakfast hey had planned. Brock and Delia did the cooking while Mr. Mime set the table. During breakfast, everyone did their best to keep their minds off of Ash's situation for the time being. But no matter how hard they tried, he was still filling their heads completely. No one knew how much longer they could deal with this.

_"___Please, Ash... you have to wake up soon...___" _Dawn thought to herself, extremely downtrodden.

Conversations were being attempted by some at the table, but they would fade away quickly, never gaining any legs; no one really felt the desire to talk. This only served to make things worse as the silence allowed everyone time to think, which was definitely not what they needed right now.

Despite the faith they all had in Ash, just the possibility of Ash not making it this time around was enough to terrify them into silence. They ended up eating in near almost silence, just wanting to be back by Ash's side.

Finally, after what felt like forever, everyone had finished breakfast and quickly left to return to the lab. Oak had left Tracey in charge of watching over Ash while he was gone, but he knew that he had to be back soon to check on Ash again. His condition was incredibly serious, so he had to check his vitals frequently to make sure that nothing was awry.

The walk back to the lab was just like breakfast, completely silent. Misty, Paul, Max and Pikachu had opted to visit Ash this time as well. Had they known about the little 'meeting' earlier, then they surely would have shown up to that as well. After all, they were just as worried as everyone else.

They soon arrived at the lab and entered, only to find a frantic Tracey rushing around.

"Tracey? What's wrong?" Oak asked his assistant immediately, knowing that something must've happened.

"Oh thank Arceus you're here! About a 30 seconds ago, Ash's vitals started to drop. I've been doing everything you told me to do if this happened, but nothing is working!" Tracey explained, exasperated.

Everyone's faces paled upon hearing Tracey's words. Ash was in a very bad spot right now and they all knew it. Tears began welling up in everyone's eyes as they watched professor Oak rush over to Ash in order to begin working on him.

The only sound for a while was the low beeping of Ash's heartbeat monitor. They all noticed the beats were slowly but surely becoming farther and farther apart.

Oak had been working on him for almost ten minutes at this point. He tried everything he could think to do and yet, nothing was working. On the outside, Oak appeared calm and collected but inside, he was panicking. Things were not looking good...

After another few minutes, he stopped working and threw his equipment on the ground in anger and frustration, letting out a yell as he did so. No matter what he tried, Ash's health was still deteriorating...

Oak stepped back, an empty, depressed look appearing in his eyes.

"Professor! What are you doing?! Help him! Save him!" Dawn screamed, her eyes overflowing with tears, her heart beating like mad as she panicked.

Oak couldn't bring himself to look at anyone, not directly, "That's it...there's nothing else I can do. I-I'm so sorry. I've tried everything I can think of, but nothing is working. If Ash keeps fading at the rate he is now...h-he doesn't have much longer. A few minutes at best..."

Once he finished speaking, for the first time since this'd all began, Oak broke down.

Seeing the Professor lose it just made everyone else feel that much worse. Everyone in the lab went hysteric and began sobbing upon hearing the news, all of their hope and faith shattered. Serena ran up to Professor Oak and began punching him in his chest.

"You bastard! You said you would fix him!" Serena sobbed as she hit the professor repeatedly in the chest. Rather than responding in verbally, the crying professor pulled Serena into a hug, to which she accepted as she slowly stopped hitting him. Eventually, she just allowed herself to cry in his arms, not knowing what else to do.

May was sobbing, unable to believe what was happening. It felt like her heart was going to explode. She'd never felt sadness like she was feeling now, nothing even came close. Her heart was pounding and she was desperately pleading in her mind for something to save Ash. If he was gone, she didn't know how she was going to be able to keep going herself...

Her best friend, the man she loved was going to die...all because of her. For May, this was more than enough to push her over the edge. Her mind went into overdrive, forcing her to think about everything they had been through. How they'd met. Him cheering her on in her contests. When she realized she was in love with him, and had been for a long time even though she only just realized it a day earlier. How she would never get to tell him how she felt about him...

As everyone stood helplessly, just watching their friend slowly drift away, a thought popped into Brock's head. Somehow, he managed to regain his composure enough to speak. "P-Professor. Go get Ash's Lucario. There is something we have to try."

Oak's eyes widened as he immediately realized what Brock was planning on doing. He released Serena from the hug and spoke frantically. "Brock, you know that has never worked on a human. If we do that, then there's an incredibly high chance that... that this will kill him."

Brock was becoming frustrated, they had to act now "So what!? If we don't do anything then Ash will die anyway! Now go and get his Lucario!"

Brock's reasoning was impossible to beat, so Oak ran out to the pokemon ranch. He returned not 15 seconds later with a sobbing Lucario by his side. It was clear that Oak had told her what was happening and what he needed her to do.

Everyone except for Brock and Professor Oak appeared clueless as to what was going on, but didn't question it. This seemed to indicate that there might be some chance that Ash could be saved, and that was all that mattered. They all watched on, everyone's composure still completely lost, with bated breath

Lucario walked until she was standing over Ash by the side of the bed. She wiped away her tears with her paw and force herself to focus. She had to be completely calm for this to even have a prayer of working

"Okay, Lucario...Use heal pulse." Brock Commanded. Lucario wasted no time in doing as he was told, immediately transferring her healing powers into her master and friend.

Using pokemon moves to heal humans was extremely controversial in the world of medicine. In every trial of using Heal Pulse on a human, the patient has died. It seemed as though the move's power and humans were not meant to mix. That's what made this so risky.

Despite this, there had been just the slightest bit of science suggesting that it could possibly work, but only under perfect conditions which had not been discovered yet. But no matter what kind of chance there was, what the statistics were, this was their only hope.

Their only chance to save Ash's life.

Everyone looked on with hopeful eyes, still crying all the while, as Lucario continued to pour his power into Ash. After about three minutes of constant healing, Lucario collapsed, too exhausted to continue.

Now, it was all up to fate.

Despite Lucario's efforts, Ash's pulse continued to grow less frequent, his heart beats coming further and further apart until finally...

...it stopped all together.

A silence captured the room. No sobbing, no words, just the dull hum of the flat line on the heartbeat monitor. The sudden quietness gave the occupants time to realized what'd happened. What this meant.

Too shocked to move, no one was able to fully register what'd happened yet.

Ash was really gone.

Dead.

Forever.

…

…

…

Just as everyone was beginning to truly lose it...something happened

the beeping began to return.

...and faster than ever. Soon, it even returned to normal, something that hadn't happened since Ash had been hurt.

Not long after his pulse returned to normal, Ash's eyelids began to flutter until they finally opened completely. He groaned as he took in his surrounding, noticing his friends and family all standing around him in what appeared to be...the lab? He was exhausted and in a decent amount of pain, but he noticed the looks of shock, fear and sadness on his friends' faces more than anything else

Ash was more than a little stunned at the reaction he was getting and seeing as he realized no one else was going to speak, he decided to, "Uhh...hey guys. Anyone care to tell me what just happened?"

* * *

****A/N: And there you have it! Chapter 3...Done! I know it's a lot shorter than last chapter but this way, I'll be able to get chapters out faster. Anyways, I need all of you guys to head to my profile and vote in the poll I have up there, it is very important to the story. Also make sure to leave a review or a PM. Those really inspire me to keep writing; feedback is a writers best friend. Look out for chapter 4 probably by the weekend. See ya!****


	4. Awakening and Woah

**A Trial of Will**

Uhh...guys?" Ash asked the room. He wondered why no one would answer his question. All anybody was doing was staring at him, slack jawed. Ash's eyes danced around the room, thoroughly confused as to why everyone seemed so stunned.

To everyone but Ash, the reason for the shocked looks was obvious. Ash had not only woken up, being revived, but he had woken up as if he was just in a casual sleep...like he wasn't just dead...

Pikachu's and Lucario's eyes began to shine bright with joy as they watched their friend arise, seemingly good as new. Tears of joy quickly cascaded down their faces.

Dawn was the first to recover from her shocked state. With tears of pure happiness falling down her cheeks, she ran to Ash as quickly as she could and wrapped her arms around him. Ash was still beyond confused, but he hugged back instinctually.

Ash couldn't help but blush at the position Dawn was in; she was quite literally laying on top of him but despite that, he had no problem letting it be as she was clearly under duress.

Obviously, himself and Dawn were friends and they did share hugs every once in a while, but why was she so emotional? What'd made her cry and what did it have to do with himself?

"Dawn...why are you crying?" Ash asked in a soothing tone. He wanted to comfort his friend, but he also wanted answers. Though, the former was much more important than the latter for the time being.

"I thought...that...I was...going to lose you." Dawn said in between sobs. Ash still had no idea what was going on, but this definitely wasn't the right time to ask too many questions. Instead, he simply opted to keep his arms cemented around the girl, running his one hand up and down her back while the other was running through her hair, comforting her the best he could.

By now, most everyone else had broken out of their stunned gazes. Brock, Tracey, Oak and Max all had bright smiles on their faces as tears of relief continued to fall from their eyes. Ash should be dead right now, they knew that but somehow, he'd to pull through, proving once again just how strong willed he was.

Serena, Delia and Misty were crying tears of joy. Serena sprinted to Ash and jumped on him, joining in on the hug he was sharing with Dawn. Ash simply accepted her and began rubbing up and down her back in order tor comfort her as well. It was a slightly strange position to be in, with two undeniably beautiful girls laying on top of him, but he had no problem with that as long as he was helping them by doing this. Plus, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying it.

Not long after Serena joined the hug, Delia approached her son, a look of absolute relief evident on her face. Hearing someone approaching them, Dawn looked back, being met with the smiling face of Delia. She obviously wanted to hug her son, so she gestured to Serena for the both of them to get off of Ash. Even though neither of them wanted to ever let Ash go, they knew Delia needed this moment with her son.

Delia simply stared at Ash for a few seconds, not moving a muscle before attacking her son with affection.

"Oh Ash! Thank Arceus you're okay. I-I didn't know what was going to happen. I'm just so...so..." Delia couldn't finish as she started to sob into her son's shoulder. She wanted him to see her smile as she'd told the others before, but keeping it up was much harder than she anticipated in a moment like this.

Ash hated seeing girls cry, especially his mom; he had to make her feel alright again. He allowed them to hug for a few moments before breaking it, locking eyes with his mother.

With a soft smile gracing his features, he spoke, "Mom, it's okay. I'm right here and I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon, so please stop crying. I hate it when you cry."

Delia nodded as she smiled and wiped away her tears, backing off of her son to give the others a chance to see him. Misty rushed in quickly, having a similar reaction to both Serena and Dawn as she attacked Ash with sisterly love. Their hug was shorter, but it meant just as much.

While all of this was going on, May had been standing completely still, not showing any emotion besides shock . The obvious fear of the boy she loved nearly dying still plagued her mind.

After Misty let go, Ash looked around the room, expecting another ambush of love. It was at this moment that his eyes met those of the brunette's. Ash smiled softly as he looked at the beautiful girl, as he often did.

The second Ash's eyes met hers, all the emotions that'd welled up within her released. It was as if a dam broke in her mind, letting everything she was feeling finally flow out of her.

She immediately began sobbing and approached Ash. Her walk quickly turned into a speed walk, and then into a full on sprint. Ash, seeing her coming, opened his arms to accept the oncoming hug. Despite his preparations, he was still taken aback by the amount of force behind her embrace. May's hug felt a lot more powerful; she was transmitting an incredible amount emotion into him.

Ash was still only sitting up in his bed, allowing May to end up in a rather...provocative potion on top of Ash. She straddled his waist as they continued to hold each other. The whole time, May was mumbling inaudible things into his chest. He knew this wasn't the time to question anything, so he simply ran his fingers through her silky, brown locks and whispered reassuring words into her ear, wanting nothing more than for her to be okay.

Without even realizing it, they'd let the hug go on for almost five minutes.

"Uhh, May?" Ash asked, though the only response he got was a light snore. The obvious exhaustion from her emotional trauma had claimed her energy once again. It also didn't help that the night before hadn't provided a particularly good night's sleep. Most of the night was spent worrying about Ash. Even her dreams were littered with the raven haired trainer.

Now that she was certain that Ash was safe, she had fallen asleep where she felt the most comfortable in the world...

With Ash by her side.

Wrapped up In his arms...

Ash silently motioned Brock over to the bed so that he could pick up May and place her on another bed in the room.

Obliging, Brock managed to pick up May and place her on the mattress Delia had slept on the night before, all without disturbing her sleep. Ash sighed contently as he watched this all go down.

"Okay, so-" Ash began but was cut off by a frantic Misty.

"Ash!? Your eyes. Th-They're blue!"

"What are you talking about, Misty? My my eyes are brown; they've always been brown." Ash responded, wondering why Misty would say such a thing; she definitely knew his eye color.

He looked toward everyone in the room, seeing that all eyes were on him. Immediately, everyone noticed that Misty was right. It didn't take over completely, but it was easy to see that most of Ash's normally chocolate brown eyes had been replaced with a vibrant blue color. If they were being honest, it was an incredibly beautiful color, but that didn't matter right now. The only thing of importance was why had this happened.

"Uhhh...why are you guys staring at me like that?" Ash asked, a bit creeped out that most of his friends and family were just staring at him, not to mention the fact that he still had no idea what'd happened that'd led him to where he currently was.

Instead of responding, Misty grabbed a hand mirror off of a nearby desk and handed it to Ash. He took it with some hesitancy and looked at his reflection. What he saw shocked him. Like everyone said, his eyes were a deep blue color.

_"___Great...more that I have no idea about..."__Ash thought to himself.

"Okay...so my eyes are blue. What does that mean?" Ash asked, not really expecting an answer.

"Well...I suppose it could be from having heal pulse used on you. I really have no other explanation. However, the color does seem to be fading." Oak pointed out.

He was correct about the fading color. It was hardly noticeable, but to those with a trained eye such as Professor Oak, he could see the color slowly returning to the usual brown.

"Wait, heal pulse?! You used a pokemon healing move on me?! I've seen the reports of those tests, I can't think of one person I read about that survived that!" Ash yelled angrily. He quieted his voice as he spoke however, not wanting to wake up May.

Oak put up his hands in defense. "Ash, believe me, we had no choice. We wouldn't have done it if it wasn't our last resort."

Ash cocked his head, completely puzzled.

"Okay, can someone tell me what happened? Why were you guys all crying and why am I in Professor Oak's lab with this... aching pain in my back?" Ash asked, trying to reach the spot on his back where the pain was originating. By this time, Pikachu had jumped up on Ash and was currently laying in his lap.

Dawn looked surprise. "You mean you don't remember?" Luckily she had wiped away most of her tears and now expressed nothing but joy.

"Nope. Not a thing." Ash responded to the bluenette.

"Well, let's start from the beginning." Brock said, taking the lead.

As Brock explained the story, bits and pieces returned to Ash, but he still couldn't remember everything. By the end, Ash went wide eyed.

"Wow. So I died, huh?" Ash looked for confirmation. He received a multitude of nods. He produced a scoff, "Well that sucks..."

Everyone smiled brightly and chuckled at what Ash'd said. Not only was it funny, but it was good to know that this experience hadn't changed him in any way.

"Well, at least it all worked out, right guys?" Ash asked, feeling rather chipper, despite what he'd just experienced.

"But that's the thing Ash...you really shouldn't have survived." Oak revealed to the young man.

"What do you mean, professor? Was it really that bad?" Ash questioned, incredibly curious as to the extent of everything that'd happened to him

"Ash, you were shot twice and lost half of the blood in your body. That alone should have been enough to kill you on the spot. Then, when everything looked completely hopeless and we all thought it was the end for you, even after you flatlined, something that should have never worked, did. Pokemon healing moves like heal pulse have never once worked on a human. I'm certain that you are the first case where it ever has." Oak finished his long winded explanation.

Ash rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Hehe...I guess I got pretty lucky then, huh?

Everyone nodded in agreement. Some even scoffed as 'lucky' seemed to be a massive understatement.

Ash then turned to face his Lucario. "Hey Lucario, thanks a lot for saving me. If it wasn't for you...I wouldn't be here right now. I'm so grateful for you and the fact that you're my friend."

Lucario smiled warmly, never being much of a talker. She did however, make her way to the side of Ash's bed and did something very uncharacteristic of a Lucario. She bent her head down and licked Ash's cheek. He laughed at her action and rubbed her behind her ears, just how she loved.

Ash was grateful to Lucario, but she would always be grateful to him as well. To have a great trainer like Ash made her feel whole. Their partnership, their bond, was strong; she would do anything for Ash and she knew that he would do the same. Ash then told Lucario that she could return to the others outside and let them know that he was okay. He made sure to thank her once more before leaving to do as she was told.

Ash attempted to stand from his bed only to discover that finding his footing was more difficult than he'd expected. He was still fairly weak from losing so much blood, but he really just wanted to get home and get something to eat.

Seeing Ash stumble, Dawn ran over to him, grabbing him around the waist and putting one of his arms around her shoulder.

Ash looked down at her in gratitude. Dawn simply looked at him with a huge smile on her face, she was really happy that she could help the person she cared about the most in the world...and the physical contact definitely didn't hurt either.

Ash put some weight on her, but tried to keep the majority of it to himself. He appreciated what Dawn was trying to do, but she would have a very hard time supporting him completely. That being said, Dawn was much stronger and more sturdy than he'd expected.

Ash was a good deal taller than her and a hell of a lot heavier. Once he made it to the door of the lab, he had regained enough control to at least be more comfortable walking, albeit clumsily. He then turned to face the group.

"Come on everyone. I could really use a home cooked meal right now." Ash said, smiling at his mother. She smiled in return, happy to get her son what he wanted.

Everyone followed Ash out the door after Brock went over to the sleeping form of May and picked her up, opting to carry her back to the house.

Even though Ash was walking okay on his own now, Dawn decided to keep her arm around him. Whether it be for if he began to feel weak again, or just for her own personal comfort and enjoyment, she wasn't entirely sure. It was almost certainly both, honestly. Ash didn't mind either way, though. Even if he was walking fine, it was nice to have Dawn close to him.

As they walked, Serena watched, je4alous of her blue haired friend. She shook it off soon after though, trying to convince herself that it was only just to catch him if he were to feel weak again. However, these thoughts didn't stop Serena for desiring to be the one helping Ash along.

"Hey Dawn, would you like me to help Ash the rest of the way? I'm sure you must be at least a little tired." Serena asked as innocently as possible.

"No thanks, Serena, I'm perfectly happy here with Ash." Dawn responded back, smiling at Ash as she spoke.

Serena sighed quietly in disappointment; couldn't blame a girl for trying.

The group continued their walk,with Brock handing May off to Tracey about half way, taking a well deserved rest from carrying her. Soon, they arrived back at the Ketchum residence.

After greeting Mr. Mime and assuring him that Ash was okay, Delia and Brock rushed off to the kitchen to make a huge meal for everyone. Since no one had really eaten much at breakfast, or the day before for that matter, the vast majority of the group was starving.

Ash's mouth was watering while they cooked, causing Dawn and Serena to giggle. While the food was being made, Dawn, Ash and Serena converged in the living room, leaving everyone else in the kitchen; Ash really jus waned to relax on the nice, soft couch for a while. The three began talking, chit chatting about anything and everything, laughing and simply having a great time. Seeing this, no one would believe that Ash was in such a horrible state less than an hour ago.

Ash, Dawn and Serena just recovered from a large fit of laughter when Dawn's became serious, yet soft, and spoke, "Hey, Ash?"

Ash wiped a tear from his eye and stopped his laughter as he turned his head towards Dawn so that he was facing her, his look gesturing for her to continue. At this point, Serena was listening intently as well.

"I just wanted to say that...that I'm really glad you're okay. You have no idea how grateful I am that you came back to us." Dawn blushed as she spoke shyly, "I-I honestly don't know what I'd do without you."

Ash looked at the bluenette with a sweet smile and migrated over to her. He sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulder, causing Dawn's blush to intensify. He was about to speak but was silenced when Serena approached, sitting next to him before speaking.

"Yeah Ash. If you would have... I-I'm just really glad that your okay. I-I don't think I could live without you." Serena finished, her eyes welling up with tears.

In response, Ash reached over a wiped the tears away with his thumb before putting his other arm around her. By this time, both girls had their heads resting on Ash's shoulders, extremely comfortable.

"You know I'd never leave you like that. I'll always be there for you, both of you, no matter what. You are two of the most important people in my life and I will always do anything I can to protect you. I'm so sorry I made you feel so scared earlier." Ash spoke sincerely. He had proved all that he'd just said multiple times in the past and both girls knew that full well.

Rather than responding, both Dawn and Serena both simply smiled softly and enjoyed the warm embrace that they were in, comfortably resting on Ash's shoulders.

"Ash, Dawn, Serena, food is ready!" They heard Delia yell after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

The girls almost didn't have time to get their heads off of Ash's shoulders before he bolted from the couch and into the kitchen.

Serena and Dawn looked at each other and couldn't help but giggle. No matter how important they were to him, food would always be at least on the same level. The two then walked to the kitchen, very content with their time spent with Ash.

Ash entered the kitchen, stomach grumbling and ready to eat. He was not disappointed when he saw various food items set out on the table. However, no matter how hungry he was, he felt that he should wait for everybody.

Over the years, Ash's table manners had improved, at least a little bit. That's not to say, however, that he still didn't pig out when he ate, he was just better at controlling himself when he needed to, especially when he was in public or in a place where it simply wasn't appropriate for him to eat the way he normally did..

"Hey, should we wake up May before we eat?" Ash asked once everyone had migrated to the kitchen. When they got back home, Tracey had placed May up in Ash's room, in his bed. She needed sleep and was currently getting just that.

"I think we should let her rest. She had a rough night and I think she needs some more time to recover from all the emotions she experienced." Brock said to his long time friend. He then turned his attention to Serena and Dawn, "In fact, I'm surprised you two haven't crashed yet, you both had long nights as well, I'm sure."

"Yeah, I think I speak for the both of us when I say that we're pretty tired. We'll probably take a nap after our meal. Sound good Serena?" Dawn asked her honey blonde haired friend.

Serena looked up, a mouth full of food, and nodded. Everyone laughed at her 'Ash like' antics and sat down to eat. Of course, Ash ate most of the food, but everyone was content with what they'd gotten.

The meal was filled with interesting conversation covering all sorts of topics, all of them lighthearted; most everyone was just trying to get the fact that Ash had literally died that morning out of their minds.

The group talked for hours, well passed when everyone was done eating. By the time the conversation was hauled by a loud yawn from Dawn, it was already 1:00 in the afternoon.

"I think I'm going to take that nap now." Dawn spoke, obviously tired. Serena nodded in agreement and followed Dawn into the living room. Since May had Ash's bed, they both opted to take the couches in the living room. They both feel asleep almost instantly.

"Well Ash, are you going to nap as well?" Brock asked.

"Nah, I'm pretty awake for a guy who lost half of his blood just the other day. I never got to thank you by the way. You to mom, thank you for the blood." Ash spoke gratefully, appreciating how far they were willing to go for him.

Both Delia and Brock smiled, "Oh you don't have to thank us dear! I would do it for you a million times over!" Delia exclaimed happily.

Brock nodded in agreement. "Yeah Ash, I'm just glad I'm the same blood type as you and that you're okay now."

Ash smiled at their kindness. The room then found itself in a comfortable silence. That laster only a few moments before Oak decided to break it.

"So Ash, what are you planning on doing today?" Oak questioned. If these were normal circumstances, he'd expect Ash to simply rest all day after what he'd gone through just hours earlier. But because everything that'd happened was anything but normal, and the fact that Ash seemed completely healthy, the older man had a feeling Ash was planning on doing something today other than just resting.

"Well, I was hoping to go see my pokemon at the lab. I mean, I've been home for two full days now and haven't seen them yet. And even though Pikachu has already seen them, I bet he wants to go play again, right buddy?!" Ash said, already becoming excited at the prospect of seeing all of his pokemon again.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu replied with a smile and a thumbs up.

"Hey Ash?" Ash heard a quiet, almost timid voice and looked to see that it had come from Max.

"What's up Max?" Ash responded with his trademark goofy smile.

"Well I was wondering if we could have that battle now? I just can't wait for it!" Max's voice was bursting with excitement.

Ash laughed as he was reminded so much of himself when he looked at Max. "Well Max. As much as I would like to, I think we should wait until tomorrow."

Max's face went sullen. "What? Why!"

"Well, besides the fact that I __died__this morning, I think it would be best to wait until everyone is 100 percent. After yesterday, I think we all need a day or so to completely recover. Plus, I'm sure everyone, especially your sister, want to see the battle." Ash spoke kindly, explaining his rationale.

Everyones also a bit strange just how easily Ash could joke around about what'd happened today. But this was definitely better than being psychologically messed up because of it.

Max blushed in embarrassment. How could he forgot what had happened to Ash just this morning? It had barely been a few hours since he'd woken up from a coma. That he'd literally returned from the dead.

"Oh...hehe...right. Tomorrow is good for me then! You better get ready to lose Ash!" Max exclaimed eagerly.

Ash again laughed at Max's enthusiasm, but also shot him a competitive glare. "We'll see Max... We'll see."

Ash broke out of his stare down and responded "Well then, it's settled, tomorrow, we battle. I'm going to head over to the lab now, Professor."

"Actually, me and Tracey should be heading back as well. Why don't we go together?" Oak asked Ash as Tracey emerged from the other room, looking fully prepared to leave already.

"Sounds good to me, Professor! Let's head out now. Bye mom, I'll be back in a couple of hours." Ash yelled while running towards the front door with Pikachu right behind him.

Both Delia and Brock shook their heads and smiled at Ash's child-like excitement. Even though he was 18 years old, pokemon still made him act like that overly eager 10 year old from back in the day.

Tracey and Professor Oak walked out the front door much more calmly, hoping that they would actually be able to catch up to their more energetic friend.

__Oak's Lab__

As Tracey and the Professor arrived at the doors of the lab, they noticed Ash standing there, breathing slightly heavy.

"Ash, did you run the whole way here?" Tracey asked incredulously.

"Yup! I just can't wait to see everyone again!" Ash responded.

Both men listening were amazed by Ash's conditioning. He had sprinted all the way to the lab which. And even though it was only about a mile or so away, sprinting that far was unbelievable, especially considering that he was barely even breathing hard.

Ash rubbed his head sheepishly, "The only problem is...the doors are locked so... I guess running here was kind of pointless when I had to wait for you guys to be able to enter anyway."

Both Oak and Tracey shook their heads and chuckled as Professor Oak unlocked the door to his lab. He took a step forward, about to enter the lab when he was cut off by Ash butting in front of him.

Ash looked over his shoulder at the older man, "Sorry, Professor! I just really want to see my pokemon!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu added in his own apology as he followed Ash out to the ranch.

The two best friends reached the ranch in no time at all. Ash was practically shaking in excitement. He could already see some of his pokemon, but it seemed that none had spotted him yet.

"Hey everybody! I'm back!" Ash screamed at the top of his lungs. All of his Pokemon's ears perked up at the unmistakable sound of their trainer's voice.

Ash heard a low rumble. It slowly began to get louder and louder as he watched all of his pokemon approach him at breakneck speeds. The smile on Ash's face dropped immediately as he realized what was about to happen.

His Tauros were leading the charge and as soon as they reached Ash, they scooped him up and brought him along as they continued to run. Ash was laughing, but he was a little bit scared on the inside. He knew that this was his Tauros' way of showing him affection, but it was still dangerous.

Ash then felt a pair of vines wrap around his body, lifting him from the backs of his Tauros. Once he was placed on the ground, he looked for his savior only to be met with the sight of his Venasaur and along with him, May's Venasaur.

After spending most of his life not wanting to evolve, Bulbasaur finally decided that he wanted to. It'd happened almost 3 years ago now. May had sent her Venasaur to Oak's lab as she was missing Ash's Bulbasaur a lot and wanted nothing more than to be with him.

Everything started out okay, but after a while, things got awkward for the two grass types. They were deeply in love, but the size difference was too great to ignore. Sensing his lovers unhappiness with the situation, Bulbasaur did the only thing he thought would make her happy.

He walked up to her and right in front of her eyes evolved not once, but twice into a fully grown Venasaur, ending up a good deal bigger than May's. Bulbasaur or as he's known now, Venasaur, had more than enough experience to evolve two times. After holding out on evolving for so long, it really wasn't that hard to believe.

After that, the two's relationship had been nothing short of amazing. May's Venasaur was and always will be eternally grateful for what Ash's Venasaur did for her. And Ash's grass type regretted nothing, especially because it made his one true love happier than she;d ever been before. Plus, he also found all of his newfound power to be awesome after getting used to it.

"Venasaur! How are you buddy! Obviously you and her are doing well." Ash said, all of this while embracing his earliest grass type in a big hug.

"Vena Venasaur!" Venasaur replied happily. May's Venasaur chimed in as well, happy to see Ash again.

As soon as Ash released his old friend, he was tackled to the ground by another green pokemon. Ash didn't even have to look to know who this pokemon was.

"Hey Bayleef! How are you? Haha! Stop! That tickles!" Bayleef was happily nudging Ash with her head, tickling him in the process. Bayleef would still always act this way towards Ash, even despite the fact that she'd seen him quite recently.

While implementing his new training methods, Ash made sure to always be switching out his pokemon so that they could train together. It was also a great way to get to see all of his pokemon more often.

After a few minutes, Ash was finally able to get Bayleef to calm down, allowing him to stand up. He looked around to see that all of his pokemon, even the more proud ones such as Sceptile and Charizard, were surrounding him, all with huge smiles adorning their faces.

Seeing his Charizard out of his ball, Ash looked towards his belt where he always kept his pokeballs. He noticed that he wasn't currently carrying any. He then realized that Professor Oak must have released his current team when he was unconscious, which also explained why Lucario was out of her ball.

Ash shook the thought out of his head and smiled back at all of his pokemon until he was tackled yet again, this time, by a large purple mass.

"Hey, Muk!" Ash mumbled from underneath his incredibly friendly pokemon.

"Muuuk!" Muk said happily as he continued to smother Ash. Eventually, Ash managed his way out from underneath his Muk and turned to face the rest of his pokemon.

He looked back toward all of his pokemon, many of which had tears in their eyes. He was more than slightly confused as to why they were like this. It wan't like they hadn't seem him in a long time.

Then it hit him.

Someone had obviously have told them what had happened, and they'd only just found out from Lucario that he was alright.

"Guys..." Ash started in a gentle tone. "I'm fine. I made it through and everything is perfectly okay now. You have nothing to worry about. I'm not just gonna leave you guys like that. We still have so much to accomplish!"

With that said, all of his pokemon converged onto him and entered into a large group hug. Each and every pokemon was grateful that their trainer and friend was okay. After they'd heard what'd happened, all were more than worried about him. In the opinion of every single one of his pokemon, Ash was the best trainer in the world, and an even better friend. Loosing him would be too for any of them to bear.

"Thanks guys. I love you too." Ash said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

Eventually, everyone broke off of Ash, but still stood near him. Ash took a few steps back, admiring all of the pokemon he had acquired throughout the years, all the friendships he's made.

In his time between Kalos and his second Journey through Kanto, he had acquired a few new pokemon.

He looked toward his Azumarill. He had met her during his second tour of Johto. He had wandered onto her on route 35 in a small body of water. After helping her escape from the clutches of Team Rocket, she was very grateful to him and requested to come with him, to which Ash was happy to comply.

Especially when he had found out that his Azumarill had a duel Water-Fairy typing. It was slightly odd to find a fairy type in Johto at the time, so Ash assumed that Azumarill had once belonged to another trainer, who had acquired her in Kalos.

Next up he met eyes with his Pupitar. Also during his second Johto journey, Ash had returned to the Larviatar he had helped out during his first time through Johto. When he found him again, he had asked if he wanted to join him, to which he happily complied. Now that he was older, both him and his mother felt that he should go see the world, and who better to give him the opportunity than their favorite human.

He then spotted the rest of his newer pokemon. Houndoom, Arcanine, Conkeldurr, Ninetails, and Rhyperior, all of which were fairly standard captures.

He continued looking around, taking in each and every pokemon's appearance. He stopped on his Garchomp. Luckily for him, Garchomp had dulled down on his biting of heads ever since she evolved, something he was very grateful for. He had grown extremely powerful after all. Ash didn't doubt that he could give even Cynthia's Garchomp a serious run for her money.

"So, everyone, how has your training been going?" Ash questioned his pokemon.

He immediately received a positive response from every single one of them. He knew his pokemon would never lie to him, so he was sure that they'd all kept up their training, even Snorlax.

It was also easy to tell just by how they all looked. Every one of his pokemon appeared to be in pristine shape and any breeder would agree that Ash had done a great job raising and training his pokemon. They were in perfect health.

Ash smiled at all of his pokemon and praised them on how great of a job they were doing.

"Hey guys, how about we all take the day off and just hang out and play!?" Ash asked, only to receive another roar of approval. He knew that he had just taken a day off yesterday, but he thought he had more earned another after what;d happened to him.

As his mind returned to his shoulder, Ash noticed that he felt almost no pain. Not only that, but when he touched the wounds, he could feel that they were almost completely closed up. He was beyond amazed that a pokemon move could heal him so effectively.

He spotted his Lucario and gave her another nod of thanks before running off, laughing and allowing his pokemon to chase him. Even Sceptile and Charizard, who were always itching to train, decided it was a good idea to take a break and just play around with their trainer and best friend.

A couple of hours later, Ash and many of his pokemon were laying in the grass, watching the clouds float through the sky. Some of his pokemon had run off to continue playing; some were playing tag while others were doing various other things.

Ash was impressed that they had the energy to keep going, even after nearly three hours of running around. Even with his great conditioning, Ash was utterly spent. His eyes were growing heavy and he decided that it would be nice to take a nap here with his pokemon. The place where he was the happiest.

Before he drifted off, he caught his Lucario's attention, catching her just before she ran off with Sceptile.

"Hey, Lucario. Do you think you could wake me up in about an hour?" Ash asked his pokemon. He had put this task on Lucario because she was one of Ash's smarter pokemon. She perfectly understanding the concept of time after Ash had taught it to her.

She nodded to him before running of with Sceptile to join the group consisting of many of Ash's strongest pokemon. This included his Charizard, Garchomp, Sceptile, Infernape and Floatzel. Pikachu would normally be with them as well, but he was going to take a nap with his trainer today.

Although Ash could easily say that these were some of his strongest pokemon, all of his pokemon were incredibly strong. Pikachu especially had grown leaps and bounds over the years and, besides Charizard who was on a similar level, he was definitely Ash's strongest pokemon.

Ash closed his eyes with a soft smile on his face, attempting to clear his mind of any and all things while Pikachu curled up next to his head for a nap of his own.

Ash's tranquil state of mind was interrupted by his own curiosity. As he was sitting in silence, he couldn't help but think back to what'd happened the other day. How insane and unexpected it all was.

How could Jessie, someone he thought he knew fairly well, try to kill him? Sure, he understood that she worked for an evil organization, but Ash had always thought that she had __some__good inside of her, along with her two cohorts. Now however, he was forced to throw that belief aside. Only a truly evil person would try to kill an innocent person, no matter the reason.

Ash couldn't help but wonder if Jessie's sudden change had been her own volition, or if the entire organization was changing for the worse. He silently prayed for the first option because if Team Rocket was now willing to kill, he would surely be high on their list of targets. After all, he'd stopped Team Rocket countless times in the past and never had any qualms about doing so again in the future.

Shaking this thought out of his mind for the time being, Ash finally found the ability to completely clear his mind. For now, he didn't have to worry about anything. He could just lay peacefully, surrounded by his pokemon.

His family.

His quiet mind allowed the 18 year old trainer to drift of into a peaceful and comfortable sleep.

* * *

__Team Rocket HQ__

Jessie returned to HQ as soon as she could, following the request of her boss and his new associate, Ghetsis. She passed through various corridors and rooms before coming across two very large wooden doors, guarded by two grunts.

Jessie simply flashed her identification to the two guards and was allowed access into the room. The doors creaked open and Jessie made her way in.

Behind the doors was a large, nicely furnished office. She had been in here a few times before, but she still couldn't get over just how incredibly nice the office was. She was brought out of her admiration when she spotted Giovanni sitting behind a desk, his faithful Persian by his side.

Across from him, also seated, was Ghetsis, former leader of Team Plasma.

After Team Plasma was brought down, partially due to Ash no less, he was arrested and sent to prison. Though, it didn't take long for him to escape. At that time, he still had many contacts on the outside that were able to help him break out.

Though, life on the run made Ghetsis a desperate man, grabbing onto anything that would keep him out of jail. A couple of months removed from the escape, he managed to find refuge in the upper ranks of Team Rocket.

He'd promised Giovanni that with his help, they would rule the world. Also, even though Ash Ketchum was certainly a major thorn in Giovanni's side as well, it was Ghetsis who'd first brought up the idea of eliminating him permanently before they would more forward with their next plan.

"Ah, Jessie. Good to see you." Giovanni said in a calm voice. This was somewhat surprising to Jessie as the boss was always somewhat cold and harsh when he spoke.

"Hello sir. Do you happen to have any information as to if my mission was successful? Did that little twerp die?" Jessie asked hopefully.

"Sadly no, he didn't" Giovanni responded, a cool smile still gracing his lips.

Jessie was now completely and utterly confused. If her mission had failed, then why was Giovanni so happy? And it looked as if Ghetsis was just as content.

"If you don't mind me asking sir, then why do you seem so happy right now? I mean, I failed my mission. I was honestly expecting you to scream at me when you said that the twerp was still alive." Jessie spoke, slightly intimidated.

"Jessie, Jessie, Jessie." Giovanni started. "Although you did not manage to kill Ketchum, you did not fail." Jessie looked at him, even more confused, "For one, we managed to ween out the weak in James and Meowth. If they are not willing to do whatever it takes, then they have no place in the new Team Rocket."

Jessie's face contorted in anger as she thought back to her now ex partners.

"And also, we have a new plan to get Ketchum." Ghetsis added with a maniacal smile on his face. "A more...fun plan.

"What kind of plan is it, sir?" Jessie asked, curious.

"All will be explained in time. I will say this, however. I don't expect us to be able to just march in and shoot him, as you tired to do, again. So as I said before, the next logical step is to have him come to us." Giovanni explained.

"And how do we go about doing that, sir." Jessie questioned. She recalled Giovanni mentioning this on the phone, and it sounded like he'd come up with the plan he'd referred to.

"It's simple. We take something of Ketchum's that is so important to him, that he has no choice but to come try to get it back... And who is more important to a young man than the person that gave them life?" As Giovanni explained the basics of the idea, Jessie's face grew a smirk.

She thought she understood Ash Ketchum pretty well. And knowing what she did about the boy...

This would __definitely__work.

* * *

__Oak's Ranch, One Hour after beginning of Nap__

Ash awoke, the constant nudging from his Lucario finally doing its job. He yawned as he sat up and thanked his pokemon before she ran back to join her friends.

He was still feeling quite tired but he knew if he slept any longer, he would not be able to sleep that night; he was already risking that by napping now. He gently awoke Pikachu and looked at his pokegear to check the time.

_"Geez, time really flew by today."_Ash said to himself.

The clock read 7 P.M. Evidence of the time was backed up by the slowly setting sun in the distance.

He cursed himself for staying at the ranch so late as he had promised his mother that he would only be gone for a couple of hours. He just hoped that she, as well as the others, would understand that he just wanted to spend some quality time with his pokemon.

After saying a quick goodbye to all of his pokemon, promising that a battle would take place tomorrow, he made his way through the lab.

He also bid a goodbye to both Professor Oak and Tracey before finally heading home.

As his house came into sight, Ash took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself for the berating he was most likely going to receive from his mother.

He entered the home cautiously, hearing what were obviously joyful conversations coming from the kitchen. He entered to see nearly everybody sitting around the table, awaiting the newly finished food to be served.

"Ash! You're back!" Dawn exclaimed, jumping up from her chair and embracing him tightly. Ash appeared to be a bit surprised by the action; Dawn usually didn't hug him for a trivial reason such as being gone for a few hours. No one really did actually...

"Hey, Dawn." Ash said, still holding her. They released the hug not long after it began and Dawn once again took her seat at the table

Ash was about to sit down as well, but he was prevented from doing so as another pair of arms wrapped around his midsection. He looked down to see Serena's face smiling up at him. "Hey, Ash!"

Ash found it a bit strange that the girls were acting this way, but again, he returned the hug regardless of his confusion. It wasn't as if he was against the contact. In fact, he quite enjoyed it.

"Hey, Serena." They separated soon after and Ash was finally able to take his seat, all the while addressing the rest of the room.

"Hey everybody. Sorry I'm a little late, I just got caught up with seeing my pokemon and all."

Ash was looking for a response, hoping that it wouldn't be from his mother, fearing that she was mad. That hope was smashed, however as Delia began to speak.

"It's okay, honey. I know you just lost track of time while playing with your pokemon, I understand. Plus, you made it just in time for dinner!" Delia spoke happily, having a completely opposite reaction from what Ash thought she'd have had.

Ash inwardly sighed in relief. Being late was a huge pet peeve of his mother's and he was most definitely late.

Ash let his eyes wander around the room only to notice that May was absent.

"Hey, where's May?" Ash asked, leaving the question open to anyone that would answer.

"She's still asleep, Ash." Broke chimed in. Ash's eye's widened slightly in surprise as Brock continued. "I tried to wake her up, but she wouldn't budge. She was really worried about you last night, more so than we even thought before, and I think it really took a toll on her. It took a tool on all of us."

Ash looked down in shame. "I'm sorry that I caused you all to worry, you guys. I hope you can forgive me."

The room was silent for a few seconds before laughter erupted, filling the room with the joyous sound. Ash looked extremely confused until Dawn spoke up.

"Ash, only you would apologize for getting hurt. It's not your fault that we were worried about you. That's just what people do, they worry for the people they care about." Dawn finished speaking, a light blush on her face.

Ash rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and nodded. Now, he was more than prepared to enjoy another lovely home cooked meal by the two best chefs he knew.

Dinner went be quickly, and the conversations lasted late into the evening. By the time people started heading off to bed, It was already 11:00 PM.

Ash was amazed that May was still asleep. As much as he _knew_ it wasn't his fault, he still felt bad that he'd made her worry to the point of her being _this _exhausted. He was broken out of his thoughts when he heard a yawn from next to him.

He'd completely forgotten that himself and Serena were the only two still not in bed, but it was obvious to tell that the blonde performer wouldn't last much longer.

"Ash, I'm heading to bed. I'll see you in the morning, goodnight." Serena said as she hugged Ash once again, much more confident in doing so than she ha be just a few days earlier.

Ash wasn't surprised this time. He just assumed that he would just have to get used to all the hugging that was going on, not that he minded it in the slightest. In fact, he was really quite enjoying the contact.

With Serena gone, Ash was left alone in the kitchen. Pikachu had long since gone to bed, still being tired even after his nap.

Ash cursed himself for taking that nap earlier in the day. Because of it, he was not tired at all when he actually should be sleeping. Not wanting to just sit in the kitchen alone but also not feeling the desire to go to bed, just Ash made his way to one of his favorite spots in all of the world

He walked leisurely into the backyard, leaving the back porch light off so that the darkness of night would encompass him completely. He then approached the porch swing his mother had put in many years ago.

Whenever Ash couldn't sleep, he would always come out here and look at the stars until he would get tired. Sometimes, he would be out there for hours and even fall asleep on the swing. Tonight however, he just wanted to enjoy watching the stars, and so that is what he did.

* * *

_Ash's ___Room__

May's eyelashes began to flutter and soon, her eyes opened completely. As she awoke, she did her best to gather her bearings, being confused as to where she was. All that she remembered before falling asleep was seeing Ash wake up and holding him tightly in her arms, trying her best to express all the love she felt for him without actually speaking.

Now, she was in a dark room on a bed. She heard a light breathing to her left and looked down to find Misty and Serena, both sleeping in sleeping bags. She then looked to her right and saw Dawn, sleeping on a cot. May looked at the alarm clock stationed on the bedside table and noticed it was 11:30 PM

She was surprised that she had sleep for so long and silently groaned, knowing she would almost certainly have a hard time getting back to sleep that night. She was going to attempt to go back to sleep immediately, hoping that the lingering tiredness would be enough to allow her to return to dreamland, but was stopped when she heard her stomach grumble.

May was starving. On a normal day, she ate a good deal more than a typical person. However today, she had eaten hardly anything. She groaned quietly and made her way silently out of Ash's room, down the stairs and into the kitchen.

May's eyes finally adjusted to the dark as she entered the room that would provide her with food, so she didn't feel the need to turn on the bright lights of the kitchen and disturb her eyes. She waltzed over to the fridge and grabbed a bag full of deli turkey, along with 5 rice balls, seeing a note on them left by Delia saying that they were for her when she woke up. May greatly appreciated this and would be sure to thank Delia later for saving her some food.

May then proceeded to then make and eat two turkey sandwiches as well as all of the rice balls. Once she was finished, she strolled back towards the refrigerator with the goal of putting away the turkey and mustard she had used for her sandwiches.

However, she stopped mid-stride when she glanced out the window, into the back yard, noticing that there was a person seated on the porch swing outside. She realized immediately that it had to be somebody from the house who couldn't sleep, like her.

Knowing full well that she would not be able to fall asleep any time soon, she decided to walk through the backyard, looking to have a conversation with whomever was on the swing.

As she approached, she noticed the silhouette of a hat on top of this persons head, as well as hair poking out from underneath it. Seeing this, she knew it could only be one person.

"H-Hey Ash." May said, her voice wavering as she became slightly nervous. The thoughts of the day were still present in her mind.

Ash jumped slightly, obviously not expecting anyone to be out there with him. He then looked to see who it was and immediately calmed down.

Ash put his trademark smile on his face and spoke, "Hey there, sleeping beauty. Nice nap?

May thanked Arceus that it was dark out at the moment. This was the only thing that prevented Ash from seeing the massive blush that overcame her face completely upon processing his words. She didn't respond, so Ash simply scooted over on the bench swing and gestured for her to take a seat next to him.

"Care to join me?" Ash asked. Again, rather than responding verbally, she approached the swing and sat down next to Ash. Due to the fact that the swing wasn't very large, both Ash and May's legs were touching as the sat.

"So, did you just wake up?" Ash questioned.

May nodded in response.

"Got hungry?" Ash asked knowing, a smirk on his lips. It truly did amaze her how well he knew her. May simply nodded once again, causing Ash to frown slightly.

"Not feeling very talkative tonight, are you?" Again, May nodded in response but this time, added in a shrug.

"Okay, no problem. We can just watch the stars together then" Ash said happily. Hearing this, May followed Ash's gaze toward the night sky, gawking at the beautiful stars.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while until Ash decided to break it.

"You know, I used to come out here all the time when I was growing up. When I couldn't sleep, I would sit right here on this swing and just watch the stars." May turned to watch Ash speak, his gaze never leaving the sky. "Whenever something is stressing me out, or I have a big decision I have to make, anything really, I would just come at here and gaze at the stars. It would always calm me down. It's just so peaceful."

The again sat in a comfortable silence for a while longer, May's eyes never leaving Ash's face. After a while, tears began welling up in May's sapphire blue eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Ash." May mumbled in a whisper. Ash couldn't make out what she'd said, but he knew that she had spoken.

"What did you say, May?" Ash asked.

"I said I'm sorry!" May exclaimed, allowing tears to stream down her cheeks. Seeing this, Ash grew concerned for one of the people he held closest to him.

"For what May?" Ash questioned softly. He wanted to help her in anyway he could and the only way he could do that was by knowing what she was talking about.

"It's all my fault! I'm the reason you were hurt! I'm the reason you lost so much blood! I'm the reason that you almost di-" May's breathing hitched as she attempted to say the last word. In the end however, it was too horrible for her to even speak of; she literally couldn't get the word out of her mouth.

By this point, she was bawling. Tears cascaded down her flawless features as her head as down, causing these tears to puddle on her lap. Ash looked at May sadly, incredibly concerned for her.

It all made sense to him now. Why she was apologizing, everything. May blamed herself for the fact that he'd almost lost his life. Sure, she was the initial target for the bullets and sure, Ash had taken those bullets for her, but he in no way blamed May for what happened. It wasn't like she'd asked to be shot at. It was his decision to put himself in harms way in order to protect her. There was no way that this was May's fault in the slightest, and Ash wanted nothing more than to make her see this.

Ash turned himself until he was facing her as best he could given the position he was in on the porch swing, reaching one hand under her chin and slowly pulling her head up until they were face to face.

"May, I want you to listen to me." Ash started seriously, yet softly, while wiping away some of May's tears with his thumb, "In no way is what happened to me your fault."

"But-" May tried to cut in but was silenced by Ash.

"No May, just listen." Ash's voice was stern, but also sweet and comforting. It was so full of care that it melted May's heart. She silently decided to just let him speak.

"Nothing that happened is your fault. It's not your fault that Jessie had a gun. It's not your fault that you got shot at. And it's certainly not your fault that I was hit. It was __my__decision to take those bullets, to put myself in harms way so that you would be safe. I couldn't bear to see you hurt, May. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself had I let you be hurt when there was something I could do about it. That same situation could happen a million times over and I would never change a thing about what happened, even if I hadn't got so lucky in the end..."

By the time Ash had finished, he had placed a comforting hand on her own, shaky one.

By now, May had stopped crying, leaving behind red, puffy,but still beautiful blue eyes. May had audibly gasped at Ash's words, amazed by the sincerity behind them. Her sapphire pools met Ash's and she saw just how truthful he was being about everything he'd just said.

The two then stared at one another for a few moments before May brought Ash into a tight embrace and broke down once again.

Ash hugged her back immediately. Seeing May like this broke his heart completely and he felt the strongest urge to help her in any way he could. He ran a comforting hand up and down her back as she cried into his shoulder.

"Thank...you...Ash." He heard May say in between sobs.

Ash brought her out of the hug when she said this, much to May's displeasure.

"For what, May?" Ash asked. He genuinely thought that he didn't deserve a thank you for what he'd done. He felt as if he'd just done what any friend would have done for another.

May, by this time, had gotten her sobs under control and could now speak more clearly. "Thank you...for saving my life."

Ash smiled. "You know you don't have to th-" He was quickly cut off by May.

"Yes I do, Ash. That was the most amazing thing that anyone ever has and ever will do for me, so please let me speak." Ash got the message and kept his mouth closed.

"Thank you for protecting me. Thank you for saving my life, for caring about me so much that you'd risk your own life just to save mine. And thank you, Ash...for just being you." May finished, allowing one last tear to fall. May knew that meeting Ash that first day in Hoenn was by far the best, and most important day of her life.

Ash only smiled in response. The two continued to stare at each other. After a few minutes both let their faces fall plain. Ash felt extreme joy as she was able to comfort one of his best friends.

May was lost in Ash's chocolate brown eyes, thoughts of everything he had ever done for her the entire time she had known him flooding her brain.

Ash had always been the greatest person that she'd ever known, that much was a given. She admired him even more than her own parents after all that he'd done for her. He was willing to die for her, and that was the most incredible thing in the world; that she was so important to him that he was willing to have his life end just so hers could continue. She'd never felt more cared for in her life.

Everything that'd happened had caused May's love for Ash to grow immensely. Not that there was before but now, there was absolutely zero doubt in her mind that she loved him. May felt as if she would be perfectly content just sitting there and staring at him all night.

They had been locked in each other's gazes for nearly three full minutes when May did something even she wasn't expecting. She could only guess it was because of everything that'd happened, the fact that she had almost lost him, the fact that she was bursting with love for him, but she couldn't be sure.

May leaned in quickly towards Ash's face, successfully capturing his lips with her own. She did her best to place all of the love she felt for him behind that kiss, but she knew that no action could ever express the enormity of her love for him. That being said, she was certainly trying her best by putting everything she felt behind that kiss.

When their lips collided, May was convinced that she'd entered heaven. She always thought that the 'fireworks' analogy was a little cheesy, but that was by far the best way to describe what she was feeling while she kissed Ash. Even if she hadn't exactly realized what she was doing as of yet, she still savored every moment of the tender kiss.

Ash's eyes widened in total surprise once May's lips connected with his. He was kissing one of his best friends. He had absolutely no idea how to feel about it. But even with his confusion, the pleasurable sensation was too great at the moment for him to pull back. He decided that he could just be confused later. He slowly began to kiss back and about 5 seconds later, he broke the kiss, no longer being able to hold back his confusion.

Both stared at each other for a few seconds. After a few moment,s May's eyes widened as she registered what she'd just done. Immediately, May bolted from her seated position and ran toward the house. She couldn't help but be incredibly embarrassed.

She hadn't meant to kiss him, the overwhelming love she felt just compelled her to do so without even really thinking about it. She was simply too afraid to face Ash at the moment, instead opting to run towards the house. She heard Ash calling her name, but she ignored him as she entered the house and made her way back up to Ash's room.

Ash attempted calling May's name, hoping to get her to come back. He was confused himself, but his first priority was to make sure May didn't feel embarrassed. When he saw that she ignored his calls, he sighed to himself and sat back down on the swing.

He brought his fingers to his lips where May had kissed him not 20 seconds prior. He couldn't deny that it felt good, amazing even, but he was so confused that it almost hurt.

Ash sighed once again as he spoke to himself, "Well...there goes any chance of me sleeping tonight..."

* * *

****A/N: Wow!****

****Advanceshippers must be very happy with how that ended ;). And to the supporters of the other ships, don't worry. I promise that each girl will have their moments with Ash until he makes his final decision. I would also like to remind everyone to vote for the poll on my profile. It has to do with who Ash will end up with. I, personally, am not choosing who Ash will end up with, I'm leaving that up to you guys! So make sure to vote in that poll and make sure to give this story a follow so you don't miss any new updates. Also if you could, please leave a review or a PM telling me what you thought of the chapter or the story as a whole. These comments really encourage me to write and it would mean a lot to me. Thanks and I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Oh, and by the way, this story has now reached over 2,000 views! Thank you all for viewing! It means a lot to me.****

****Stay tuned for next chapter for the aftermath of the kiss amongst other things. The main plot of the story will kick in soon and the action will follow along with that. Also next chapter will be my first attempt to write a pokemon battle, so wish me luck.****

****Anyways, thanks for reading and See Ya!****


	5. Battles and Embarrassment

****A/N: I know that most of this story has been a lot about romance thus far. Romance will continue to play a large role in the story but starting very soon, the main plot will begin and there will be much more action to go along with it. Just wanted to point that out. Please Read, Review and Most Importantly, Enjoy! :)****

****P.S: If you haven't figured out yet that thoughts are in ******_**"**_****__**italics"**__****_**, **_******well... now you know.****

****P.P.S: Double update this weekend because it's labor day weekend! WOO! Chapter 6 will come tomorrow!****

* * *

A Trial of Will

As May ran back into the house, she was doing her best to keep her sobs silent, thanking the lord above when she finally reached the door to Ash's room. She paused outside the door for a moment, allowing herself time to get her breathing under control; she didn't want to be heard by the other girls in the room.

However, catching her breath proved more difficult than she'd thought; the panic she was feeling seemed to be squeezing any and all air from her lungs. She couldn't believe what she'd just done. She was even more embarrassed in this moment than when she failed to reach the grand festival back in Johto.

In her heart however, she knew why she did it. She had come to terms with the fact that she was deeply in love with Ash, that she loved him with all of her heart. He'd done so much for her and he was by far the most important person in her life. But even still, she couldn't believe that she'd actually kissed him.

She began pacing, still in the hallway just outside of Ash's room.

_"___Oh Arceus, why did I do that? What was I thinking!? Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!"__May mentally scolded herself.

After a while, May stopped pacing and leaned against the al net to the door to Ash's room. She then slid down the wall into a seated position on the ground, running a hand through her currently bandana-less hair.

May quickly found herself wishing desperately that she just had the courage to face Ash right now. She should have turned back when she heard him calling after her, she knew that. It was very much possible that if she'd heard what Ash had to say, she would feel better. But the problem was, she didn't have that courage right now. Not after what'd just happened.

What was really killing her though was the fear of how Ash would react to the kiss. She was worried that this may alter their friendship and make things awkward, something she __really__didn't want to happen. If she caused her friendship with Ash to fall apart, May was sure that she would't be able to live with herself.

Although, even with all the fear, embarrassment and uncertainty she was feeling, she couldn't help but allow her mind to relive what'd just happened, relishing in the feeling of Ash's soft lips against her own. She slowly lifted her fingers to her lips, allowing them to linger as for a moment, she forgot about the consequences her actions might have and smiled.

No matter how embarrassed she felt, somewhere inside of her, she was glad that she did it. Not that she doubted it at all in the first place, but the way the kiss made her feel confirmed the undeniable love that she felt for the raven haired man. Those few seconds they spent connected were undoubtably some of the best of May's life. It was all that happened after that caused

"Maybe...Maybe he feels the same way I do..." May mumbled to herself, her quiet voice full of hope.

At the prospect of this being true, May smiled, finally calming herself down enough to enter the room and attempt to sleep.

Her head hit the pillow, hope still holding complete control of her mind, as she slowly began to drift off into what would end up being a very good nights sleep.

__Backyard__

After May ran off, Ash continued to sit on the porch swing, staring at the stars for hours. So many thoughts were running through his mind that he ended up giving himself a headache.

Before May came outside, Ash had been at least a little tired but after what happened, he was fully awake. Usually, watching the night sky would allow him to clear his mind and relax, but even that wasn't helping at the moment. He had too many questions. Questions that he didn't want to ask May, obviously not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable.

_"I don't get it...___Why did she do that...?"__Ash pondered, not having an answer at the moment.

Over the years, Ash had matured a great deal, but he still had trouble understanding women. Obviously, he knew what a kiss meant and what it represented, but it was still somewhat confusing. He could think of a few different reasons why she might have kissed him, but one in particular kept jumping to the forefront of his mind.

__"Does she...like me?"__This thought had even surprised himself. May was one of his best friends, there was no way that they could be anything more than that...right?

Ash liked May a lot, but he didn't know if he _liked_May. Sure, he loved spending time with her, but that could be said about all of his friends. He also loved how they were so alike, but could that actually mean something more?

Ash grunted in frustration and pulled on his hair. This action had caused him to wince in pain, the act of lifting his arms so high aggravating his wounds. Even though heal pulse allowed him to heal quickly, he still felt a dull pain when he lifted his left arm too high. Thinking back on the incident with Team Rocket, another theory entered his mind.

__"Maybe...Maybe she was just really appreciative of what I did for her. I've heard of things like this happening before...Yeah. That's probably it...At least, I'm pretty sure..." __Ash rationalized to himself, only half believing what he was thinking to himself.

He kept telling himself to just accept that this was the case but in the back of his mind, he was still as unsure as ever. That one alternative just kept popping back up into his mind...

He laid back on the swing and got as comfortable as he could. Now that he had at least some sort of reasoning as to why May had kissed him, the feeling of fatigue finally overcame him. He let out a yawn and closed his eyes, allowing one last thought to flow through his mind.

__"I just hope this doesn't change anything between us..."__

* * *

__Next morning, 6 AM__

Ash was tossing and turning in his sleep, nearly falling off of the porch swing as he did so.

Inside Ash's mind, he was trapped in a very...odd dream. Something was telling him that in the dream, he was on a journey. Though, it wasn't the typical journey that he was used to, not even close. This felt much more important, like there was so much more at stake...

Ash found himself was standing across from another person, though he couldn't tell who, as to Ash, he was just a silhouette. Ash quickly noticed that he was in the middle of a battle, with his Pikachu battling a pokemon he couldn't quite make out; it was also a silhouette.

Ash watched on in horror as his best friend Pikachu was swiftly defeated by the man's pokemon. Ash instinctively reached for his next pokeball, only to recoil in terror as he realized he had none.

Ash looked back up at the man and even though he couldn't make out any discernible features, he could tell that the person had a sadistic smirk on his face. This person was exuding evil intent, and it shook Ash to the core, especially as he had no way to protect himself now.

The person then began walking toward him. Ash's mind was screaming at him to turn around and run but for some reason, he couldn't move. He was paralyzed. All he could do was watch as the person came closer and closer.

The person then proceeded to pull out a gun. Ash's eyes went wide as he saw this, remembering his last encounter with one of these weapons. It wasn't long before he heard the sound of the loud bang that accompanied a gunshot.

But just as the bullet was fired from the gun, As awoke from his dream with a start.

Ash sat up and panted, having a difficult time finding his breathe. He was soaking wet, but he knew it hadn't rained the night before, he was drenched in his own sweat.

The dream felt so...real. Like he was actually in danger, like it was actually happening. He still felt the emotions he was feeling during the nightmare. Fear, desperation, and worst of all, for some reason he didn't know, he felt as if he'd failed. That he'd failed something more important than anything else he'd ever been involved in.

After a few moments, he managed to get his breathing under control and shrugged the nightmare off, forcing the negative emotions out o his mind.

It was just a dream after all.

Ash soon left his position on the porch swing, slowly making his way into the house. He noticed that no one else was awake quite yet and when he glanced at the clock, he realized why. Ash was thankful that his internal clock had woken him up so early, now he could get his training done before everyone was awake, just how he liked.

He proceeded quietly into the living room to wake up Pikachu, who had claimed one of the abandoned couches the previous night since neither Ash nor May had used them.

"Hey buddy, ready to train?" Ash asked quietly, gently nudging his best friend awake.

Pikachu wasted no time in waking up. After rubbing his eyes with the backs of his paws in the most adorable way possible, he was roaring and ready to go.

"Pika-chu pika pika Pi" Pikachu responded with determination written on his face. Ash laughed as he proceeded to get ready for training.

Ash grabbed a large bottle of water from the fridge, slipped on his shoes, and took off towards Professor Oak's lab. The walk went without incident, arriving at the lab in just about ten minutes. He then proceeded to knock on the door, waiting for an answer.

Luckily for Ash, Professor Oak was definitely a morning person and was usually awake as early as Ash was. However, on this morning, Ash had to wait quite a long time before a clearly exhausted Tracey answered the door.

Tracey yawned and rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes before he spoke.

"Here to train, Ash?" It was obvious by his scratchy voice that he had been woken up by ash's knocking.

"Sure am!" Ash exclaimed, beaming with excitement. Tracey just shook his head in disbelief. He had no idea how anyone could be so chipper this early in the morning.

"Hey Tracey, why are you answering the door. Isn't professor Oak usually up around this time?" Ash asked, curious as to why this morning was different from any other he'd experienced; Tracey was typically always asleep during this time and Professor Oak would always be the one to let him into the lab..

"Yeah, usually he is, but after yesterday, he decided he needed a good, long rest to regain his strength." Tracey responded, feeling a bit more awake now.

Ash nodded at the response and thanked Tracey as he sped past him into the lab. Tracey wasted no time before going back to his room and returning quickly asleep.

As Ash reached the ranch, he looked around to see all of his pokemon. All of them, were already awake and just starting their training. Ash had developed a specific training program for each individual pokemon he owned. Although some were similar, none were the exact same. Each pokemon had specific things that they focused on, but there were also some elements of the training that were universal for all of his pokemon.

Having noticed their trainer, all of the pokemon rushed towards him. They were still excited to see him, but they didn't react as over the tope as they had the day before.

"Hey everybody! I thought I would come down here and we could do some training together! Sound good?" Ash asked loudly, making sure all of his pokemon could hear him.

He received a multitude of replies from all of his pokemon. Although all he heard were the various names and roars of his pokemon, he knew that, in their own way, they all had said yes and were eager to get to training. Ash couldn't help but smile at his pokemon's incredible determination to get stronger.

"Alright everyone! Why don't we start out with a little run around the ranch. I want everyone doing 40 laps, that comes out to about 8 miles. Flying types, I want you to fly the same route, but you are doing 50. Then after that, we will do strength training with and without weights. Then lastly, we will work on your moves. I promise that I will train with everyone today."

Everyone was a bit shocked. Usually when they trained with Ash, hell, even when they trained alone, it was much harder than what he currently had planned. Ash noticed the confused faces on his pokemon, so he explained.

"Well, I have a battle with Max today and I want you all to see it. I don't want you to be too tired to watch, so I'm making today a little lighter. I also don't want to be too tired to focus on the battle and since I do everything you do, I had to tone it done a bit." Ash explained. "Plus, I thought I should take it easy, at least for today, after my injury. I'm still a bit sore, after all. I just don't want to exacerbate it."

After telling his pokemon the reasons why they were going to take it slightly easy today, Ash's face contorted to one of great determination, which all of his pokemon noticed and got excited from.

"But after today, we're going to start training really hard again, so don't get used to this." Ash added, knowing that his pokemon loved training hard. Well, 'love' might be too strong a word as the training was so difficult. That being said, Ash and all of his pokemon loved getting stronger. Their desire to be the best was truly staggering and thy knew that the only way to become the best was to train their absolute hardest day in and day out.

His pokemon appeared to understand all Ash'd said and were currently waiting for his command. Ash removed his hat, jacket and shirt, revealing his very toned, muscular body, and began to run, gesturing for his pokemon to follow suit.

Each and every pokemon, even the ones that could run much faster than him, all kept pace with their trainer. This training was as much about conditioning as it was about camaraderie. Plus, there would be a time for everyone to show off their true speed once they got to the sprinting portion of their training.

Whenever all of the pokemon got to train with Ash together, they wanted to be by his side during every minute of it.

* * *

__A Long While Later__

"Good! Now Talonflame, use Brave Bird on that tree. I want to see that thing cut in half!" Ash exclaimed to one his first Kalos pokemon. All of the pokemon, along with Ash, had been going hard for quite a while now.

After the run, as well as a series of wind sprints, Ash and each pokemon were equipped with special, wearable weights that Ash had purchased a few years prior. It was a bit expensive, but Ash had been training for eight years now and with him only spending money on the necessities, he was fairly wealthy and could more than afford the weights.

They all then proceeded to begin their strength training. Ash, along with the pokemon that could physically do them, did push-ups. Hundreds and hundreds of push-ups later, they switched to sit-ups.

All the while, the pokemon that couldn't do these exercises were doing other things that would improve their strength, all designed by Ash himself. Many were lifting tree trunks and others were flying at top speeds with incredible amounts of weight pulling them downward. Ash'd developed quite a few techniques for his pokemon to improve their strength.

After hours of strength training, they eventually started on move-specific training. This was intended improve the moves that each pokemon knew, as well as to learn new ones. Ash had spent many hours meticulously studying every species of pokemon he owned, learning every move that they could learn, which helped him find ways to teach these moves to them.

After a long while, Ash had made his way through working with most of his pokemon, taking his time with each individually before sending them off to work on a certain set of moves that he had chosen for them to do.

Ash watched as his Talonflame cut a tree in half with her powerful Brave Bird attack, just as he'd commanded. He smirked to himself and commended the bird pokemon for his fantastic work before looking around at all of his other pokemon. Most were practicing their moves on targets, but a select few were sparring against each other.

He took notice of his Pikachu sparring with Charizard. These two were definitely Ash's strongest pokemon and they were currently giving one another a run for their money. Noticing how hard both pokemon were panting, he decided to step in and stop them.

"Okay guys, that's enough. I don't need either of you fainting on me now." Ash stated as both Pikachu and Charizard nodded to each other in respect.

Ash then proceeded to rub his Charizard on the neck, earning an appreciative flamethrower from the large fire pokemon.

Over time, the flamethrowers that Charizard would shoot at him affectionately had started causing him less and less pain, eventually getting to the point were they didn't hurt him at all.

Ash attributed this to Charizard getting stronger and becoming better at controlling the intensity of his attacks. He was smiling at his pokemon when he heard something behind him, making the trainer jump in surprise.

"Hey, Ash! We knew you'd be training, but we thought that you'd at least come back for breakfast!" Brock yelled to his raven haired friend, a teasing tone evident in his voice. He was followed by practically everyone. Paul, Max, Misty, Dawn, Serena...everyone except for May.

Turning around to face his friends, he put on a big smile, "Oh, hey guys. What are you talking about? I was gonna come back for breakfast."

"Ash, It's already 10:30. We usually have breakfast at around 8:30." Paul reminded him.

Ash's eyes momentarily opened in shock. He hadn't realized that he had been training for so long.

He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment and chuckled nervously. "Hehe... I guess I lost track of time.

It was then Ash noticed the trio of girls. His female companions definitely weren't the quite type and usually, they would have said something by this point in the conversation. He looked over to where they were standing and noticed that all three of them were staring at him with wide eyes, mouths open slightly.

Ash cocked his head in confusion as he turned his attention back to his male friends. "What's up with them?" Ash asked, pointing towards the girls with his thumb.

Rather than answering, Brock just screamed in frustration, wondering how Aah got all the luck, while Max and Paul laughed.

Seeing that Ash was still oblivious, Paul decided to help him out. "Ash... you might want to put a shirt on."

He still looked confused until he glanced down at his shirtless body. However, he still didn't see how this explained-

"_Ohhhhhh..." It took him a while, but _Ash finally realized why they were all staring at him. He wasn't nearly as dense as he used to be and he knew that working so hard over the years had yielded some very..._positive_ results for him.

Turns out he hit the nail right on the head. All three girls, even Misty, who no longer had romantic feelings for Ash, were lost in admiring his shirtless form, unable to look away.

Almost immediately after seeing him, a blush formed on all three girls' cheeks. They could vaguely hear the conversation going on and they knew that they should look away, but they just couldn't. Dawn seemed to be the most entranced by his shirtless form.

__"Whoa...the years have been kind to him...I've never seen a body as nice as his. He's always been cute but now, I'm confident in saying that he's the hottest guy I've ever seen."__Dawn thought to herself; still unable to look away or change the dreamy, wide-eyed expression on her face. Serena was having very similar thoughts to her blue haired friend at the moment.

Misty was the first of the three to break out of her trance, knowing that her feelings for the boy had sailed years ago. She then decided to tease him a bit,"Working hard, are we Ash?"

Ash blushed as both Serena and Dawn continued to stare. Ash didn't really like all of the attention he was getting so he quickly searched around, finally finding his black shirt and jacket on the ground. He quickly put his clothing back on, silently praying that the girls would break out of their trances now that he was fully clothed.

Luckily for him, this seemed to do the trick.

"Oh...um, H-Hey Ash!" Dawn said a little too loudly. Serena simply waved and put her head down, attempting to hide the massive blush on her face, but failing.

"Hey!" Ash said enthusiastically, ready to put this situation behind him.

"So what are you guys doing here? Couldn't wait for me to get back? And...wait minute...where's May?" Ash asked, teasing at first, but turning serious near the end.

"Well, I just really couldn't wait any longer for our battle, Ash. I'm so pumped! But as for my sister...she said that she had some things to do, but that she would come to the later to catch the tail end of the battle." Max explained. He'd been slightly confused and wondered what it was his sister had to do, but accepted her excuse anyway as he had no reason not to trust her.

Ash frowned at the reasoning. He knew that it was more than likely that he was the reason why May hadn't come along with everyone else. This was exactly what he didn't want the kiss to cause; he didn't want everything to be different between them now. And if this was any indication of what was to come, then things were not looking good.

He sighed before doing his best to put on a cheerful look for his friends. Even despite the what he as feeling about the situation with May, he was still excited to battle. "Okay then Max. As long as May's coming. I don't want her to miss our first battle. I'm ready when you are!"

"Alright! Let's start right now.! You're going down Ash Ketchum!" Max exclaimed confidently.

Ash scoffed at the young boy and crossed his arms over his chest. "We'll see about that, Max. Don't think I'm going to hold anything back."

"I wouldn't want anything less." Max said, a determined smile adorning on his face.

"Okay Max, I'm going to let you to pick the pokemon yo want me to use. But remember, no matter who you choose, you're going to be in for a fight." Ash told the boy, gesturing toward all of his pokemon, which were lined up behind him.

Max momentarily let a look of surprise wash over him before quickly changing his expression back to one of unadulterated determination. "If I want to be the best, then I have to beat the best. I choose to battle against Pikachu."

Now it was Ash's turn to look surprised. Max had just chosen to face off against what was arguably his strongest pokemon. They had been battling together for eight years, so it only made sense that Pikachu would be extremely tough.

Although he would never say it out loud, Ash thought that Pikachu had benefited the most from the intense training they went through. His speed had increased tenfold along with his strength and power. On a good day, Pikachu can and has knocked out a weaker pokemon in one hit. Ash just hoped that Max was up for the challenge. But he had faith in his younger friend, knowing just how much he knew about pokemon and how much he loved them as well.

Everyone else was just as surprised by Max's decision. They had seen what the yellow rodent could do over the years, some watching it from their TV's, and others seeing his power in person. No matter where they had seen it though, they knew Max was in for the fight of his life.

The other pokemon, many of whom were disappointed that they weren't battling, had cleared out an area for the two boys to battle in. Ash had taken to one side, his Pikachu directly in front of him on all fours. Max took the spot on the opposite end of Ash.

"Pikachu, you ready buddy!?" Ash questioned his pokemon excitedly.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said, determined to win this battle.

"Alright then Max, who are you going to choose?" Ash asked his opponent.

Max smirked, "Me and this guys have been through a lot together these past four years. Ash, I'd like you to meet my first pokemon. Sceptile, come on out!"

Max threw the pokeball, revealing the green, reptilian pokemon. Ash's own Sceptile took notice of the newcomer of its own species. Although he looked quite strong for a pokemon that has been training for just four years, Ash's Sceptile scoffed at the pokemon, obviously thinking much higher of himself.

"Whoa...Max, you chose Treeko! That's awesome! I can't wait to get this battle started! Brock, can you act as referee for us?" Ash turned his attention away fro,m the Sceptile to meet the gaze of his long time friend.

"Way ahead of you, Ash." Brock had already moved to take his place between Ash and Max, on the outer edge of the area they were using as the battlefield.

"This one-on-one battle is Between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and Max Maple of Petalburgh City. Are both trainers and pokemon ready?

"Ready!" Ash responded.

"You bet!" Max stated sharing a competitive glare with Ash across the field.

"Pika Pikachu!"

"Scep scep-tile!"

"Alright, then begin!" Brock announced, officially starting the battle.

"Alright Sceptile, we can't waste any time. Get in close with quick attack!" Max ordered. Sceptile immediately took off at breakneck speeds towards the electric mouse pokemon.

Ash never let the confident look leave his face. "Pikachu, use agility to dodge and hit him with iron tail."

Before Sceptile managed to reach Pikachu, the rodent disappeared, moving at an even greater speed than Sceptile. The grass type pokemon looked around in panic, trying his best to find the electric rodent.

"Sceptile! Look out!" Max exclaimed, finally seeing Pikachu become visible behind his starter. But his warned had come too late. Sceptile turned around just in time to see Pikachu coming down towards him, his tail colored a glistening iron color. The simple attack just exuded power.

The move hit the lizard directly in the skull, causing quite a bit of damage. Sceptile staggered his way back to his trainer in order to regroup.

"Sceptile, are you okay?" Max questioned his earliest pokemon. He got a positive response, but he could tell that his Sceptile was shocked that such a small pokemon could pack such a punch.

"Sceptile, you can't underestimate, Pikachu. He's the Pikachu I've told you about. He's beaten many opponents without even getting hit himself. He has even beaten the legendaries Regice and Latios!" Max told his pokemon, listing a few of Pikachu's greatest accomplishments.

Sceptile's eyes went wide at the revelation, but that look was soon replaced with a newfound look of determination. He glared at Pikachu, who leered back in return.

Seeing that his pokemon now knew what he was up against, Max went back on the offensive.

"Sceptile, rush in with quick attack and then hit 'em with a leaf blade!"

"Pikachu, be ready. Keep focused on Sceptile's movements." Ash said softly to his starter.

Pikachu did just what was commanded of him. He focused his eyes solely on Sceptile. Even while he used quick attack, when most couldn't see anything but a blur moving across the field, Pikachu was still able to follow the reptilian pokemon's every movement.

Sceptile was rapidly closing the gap between the two. Pikachu quickly noticed the glowing green that indicated a leaf blade attack. Ash, who had also been following Sceptile's movements, was waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

As Sceptile was only but a few feet away from Pikachu, Ash decided it was time. "Pikachu! Now!"

Hearing his trainer's voice, Pikachu jumped high into the air, making Sceptile miss his attack. He then let loose a powerful thunderbolt. The only thing Max and Sceptile could do was watch in horror and wait to see what would happen.

Sceptile took the attack head on, feeling thousands of volts of electricity pulsing through his body. However, his grass typing helped him take the attack better than normal, evident by his quick return back to Max. That being said, the grass type was once again shocked by just how powerful this Pikachu was.

Max looked flabbergasted; Ash hadn't even told Pikachu to use a move!

"Ash, how did Pikachu know what to do without you telling it anything?' Max inquired.

Ash smirked. "Well, the whole 'quick attack into another attack' thing is pretty common. Because of how often it happens, me and Pikachu decided it would be best if he had a simple way to counter it. It almost always works the first time, but as battles go on longer, we tend to not be able to use the same strategy again."

Max, along with most everyone else, save for Brock and Serena, who had seen Ash grow and develop this strategy, finally cemented in their minds just how much Ash improved. This Ash was certainly not the rash and impatient trainer he used to be. Instead, he was powerful, and tactical, using his mind along with his pokemon's immense strength.

"Fine then! Sceptile, use your strongest Leaf Storm! Go!" Max commanded, pointing his arm toward Pikachu.

Sceptile summoned up a lot of strength and created what looked to be large tornado of leaves toward Pikachu.

Max smirked. There was no way that Pikachu would be able to dodge this attack. If nothing else, he was going to at least get a hard hit on Pikachu.

The younger boy was surprised once again, however, as Ash's confident smirk never left his face, even with a very powerful and fast move coming Pikachu's way. This confused him even more when he saw that Pikachu wasn't moving to try to dodge.

Ash, not feeling concerned in the least, said two simple words to his pokemon, "Counter Shield."

Pikachu summoned a large amount of electricity from his small body and formed it into a shield, protecting his form from the oncoming attack. As the leaf storm finally reached its target, many of the leaves were burnt up by the hot electricity coming from Pikachu.

As the attack ended, Max was left with a exhausted Sceptile while Ash still had a completely healthy looking Pikachu.

It was at this time that the girl in the white and red bandana approached the group of onlookers. May had opted to stay back at the house while everyone else had gone to find Ash for reasons she hadn't felt comfortable disclosing to her friends.

May was really scared to see him right now, but she was torn because she knew her brother and Ash were going to be battling. That was not something she wanted to miss. This battle had been a long time coming

Ultimately, her desire to see the battle won out and she finally came to the ranch.

Dawn noticed the brunette immediately as she walked up next to her.

"May! I'm glad you finally decided to come! You missed the start of the battle. Ash is absolutely destroying Max. He hasn't even managed to land a hit on Pikachu yet! Can you believe that?" Dawn informed her friend.

May wasn't sure how to feel about the revelation. She knew from the beginning that this was probably how the battle was going to go, but she still felt a bit bad that her brother losing by such a margin. Although, he was losing to the person she loved more than anything else in the world, so it wasn't all bad.

She decided that rather than being conflicted on who she wanted to win, she would just try to watch the battle impartially and enjoy it as much as she could.

"Grrr...Sceptile, we need to try something else!" It was easy to see that Max was getting frustrated, even after only a few countered moves.

Ash knew he could use this to his advantage; battling a frustrated opponent was like stealing candy from a baby, but the thought of actually abusing this moment never even crossed Ash's mind. Max was one of his friends after all, and this was a great moment for Ash to remind Max of something.

"Max, you need to keep your cool. You don't think straight when you're angry and that's a recipe for disaster in a battle." Ash reminded the young trainer. Max looked up, meeting Ash's steely gaze.

Seeing how calm and collected Ash was motivated him to settle himself. He knew that becoming angry in a battle almost always lead to a trainer's demise but sometimes, he it was just hard to control. That being said, he knew that he couldn't let his emotions affect him so much in the heat of battle, and he was grateful to Ash for reminding him of that. He took a few deep breaths and was soon completely calm and ready to continue.

"Thanks, Ash." Max spoke softly to his friend. If it wasn't for him, he would have lost in no time at all.

Ash only smiled and nodded in response before he commanded his pokemon.

"Pikachu, use charge beam!"

With a new found confidence built up inside him, Max expertly commanded his Sceptile. He was finally starting to think before acting. He knew if charge beam hit, then chances were that Pikachu's attacks would be even more powerful than before. He couldn't afford to let that happen

"Sceptile! Dodge to the right and use rock slide!" Max was very confident that this would work. He had spent countless hours with Sceptile perfecting his rock slide attack. It was safe to say that Sceptile's rock slide was one of the fastest and most precise out there.

Sceptile barely managed to dodge the charge beam attack just slightly before rocks shot from around him, traveling at extremely high speeds towards Pikachu.

"Pikachu quick, counter shield!" Ash commanded; a bit of urgency finally dripping into his voice as he realized how quickly the rocks were approaching.

Pikachu managed to summon some electricity to block a few of the oncoming projectiles, but not enough to completely protect himself from all of the rocks.

Pikachu recoiled in pain as a number rocks hit him. Not all hit their mark however, a little less than half of them were vaporized by the bit of electricity Pikachu was able to summon before the attack could hit.

Despite what was happening, the confident smirk still refused to leave left Ash's face. He was incredibly impressed by the speed of Sceptile's attack, but he knew that Pikachu could take it. Even though ordinary Pikachu's are known to be quite frail, Ash knew that they wouldn't have a problem with that.

Because his Pikachu was anything but ordinary.

Everyone watching was also a bit taken back by Max's small success. Ash was definitely considered a very powerful trainer throughout the world and most everyone, even May, had been fairly confident that Max wouldn't even land a hit on Pikachu.

May was thankful though, that Max had been able to at least do _s___omething__against Ash. Like everyone else, she had watched Ash in the Indigo League that year, as well as most of hi important battles before that, and suffice it to say, Ash was definitely no pushover when it came to battling. In fact, he was considered to be in the upper echelon of trainers in the current battling circuit.

Max was ecstatic that he'd finally landed a hit on the speedy and elusive pokemon. This was his opening and he knew it; he had to capitalize on this opportunity.

"Alright Sceptile! Now's our shot! Use earthquake!" Max shouted to his first pokemon.

"Pikachu... use iron tail snd balance on it." Ash commanded, surprising most everyone present.

Everyone, save for a select few, were confused by the command, but figured the answer to the questions swimming in their heads would be answered soon enough.

Sceptile stomped the ground with all his might, causing it to shake ferociously. The dirt battlefield they were battling on stirred up, causing dust to take to the air. Because of this, visibility dropped drastically.

Although Max couldn't see Pikachu at the moment, he was sure that he had dealt some serious damage to Pikachu, as well as Ash chances of winning.

May watched in a mixture of pride and nervousness. She felt proud of her brother for seemingly doing a lot of damage to Pikachu. And nervousness because the person that Pikachu belonged to was the person she loved.

Ash on the other hand, stood confidently. The smirk on his face only growing bigger as he saw the nervous expressions of his friends.

_"___How naïve..."__Ash humored himself with his thoughts.

"Now Pikachu! Full power thunderbolt!" Ash yelled to his starter after a few moments,not allowing the dust to settle.

On cue, Pikachu leapt above the airborne dust that surrounded him and prepared his attack.

"Piii-Kaaa-CHUUU!" The yellow rodent exclaimed as an impressive amount of energy shot from his body.

Max was too shock to command Sceptile to do anything, causing the powerful electric attack to hit his pokemon directly. Even though grass types resist electric type moves, Pikachu's thunderbolt was powerful enough to seemingly disregard that rule, as evident by Sceptile yelling his name in pain.

Pikachu kept up his attack for a few seconds longer before pausing it, looking toward Sceptile expectantly as he landed back on the ground. As both Ash and Pikachu thought, the attack had been too much for the now charred grass type as he fainted immediately after the attack ended.

"Sceptile is unable to battle. The winner is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!" Brock exclaimed, raising the hand closest to Ash's side of the field.

Max dropped the surprised look on his face as he ran to check on his first pokemon and good friend. He was worried for Sceptile; that thunderbolt was on of the most powerful he'd ever seen.

"Sceptile! Are you okay?" Max asked his pokemon, trying not to panic; Sceptile was more than likely alright, pokemon were incredibly resilient after all.

Sceptile barely managed to open his eyes and give his trainer a weak smile before closing his eyes once again. Max sighed in relief; even with the power behind that last attack, his Sceptile was sure to be fine after a good rest and maybe a potion or two...

Max didn't notice Ash approach as he was still staring at his unconscious pokemon.

"Hehe...Sorry about that Max. I probably should have had Pikachu hold back a little bit on that last one." Ash said nervously.

Max looked up at his mentor, only to see a sheepish smile gracing his features as he rubbed the back of his head. Now that he knew Sceptile would be okay, he returned to being confused.

Ash became uncomfortable when he noticed Max just staring at him, an odd look on his face. Trying his best to ignore the stare, Ash decided to speak.

"You did really well, Max! You even managed to land a hit on Pikachu, one of my fastest pokemon. There are quite a few trainers I've faced over the past few years that can't even say that." Ash said, hoping to break the young boy out of his gaze.

This did not work, however, as Max just continued to stare. The two were locked in a staring contest for almost half a minute before Max finally spoke.

"How?"

Ash looked a bit muddled, but quickly realized that he was most likely wondering what had happened during the earthquake attack. He looked up at his friends and saw that all but Serena, Brock and Paul also had shared looks of confusion.

"You're wondering how Pikachu made it out of that earthquake unscathed." He received positive nods and answers from all those around him. Taking this as his cue to continue, he spoke again, "Well...it's pretty simple, actually. Earthquake does exactly what it sounds like it does, it snakes the earth quake. So, all Pikachu had to do was minimize the parts of him that were on the ground, and Pikachu's tail is a good candidate for that. It has to do with how much surface area is on the ground at the time of the move being used. At least, that's how it works when pokemon cause the earthquake, I'm not too sure if it;'s the same for a natural occurring earthquake. So normally, when earthquake would have done a lot of damage, being that it is super effective to Pikachu, it hardly did any. Make sense?"

Ash looked to Dawn, May and Misty, who seemed to be pondering over what Ash had said. He then looked back at Max, who was still looking at him, clearly processing what he'd just been told.

After a few moments, a grin grew on Max's face.

"Wow! That's so cool! Why didn't I think of that?!" Max shouted in excitement.

Ash laughed at his young friend before turning toward his friends, who were quickly approaching him. Well, all except for May, who had opted to stay where she was, which happened to be a good distance away from Ash.

"Wow, Ash. How did you come up with something like that?" Misty asked.

"You know, I'm not really sure. It just kind of came to me during a battle a couple years back. It was sort of a trial and error kind of thing" Ash responded.

"Okay...then why haven't any of us ever seen you use this strategy before? I mean, I'm sure that I'm not the only one who's watched all of your televised battles since we've been apart." Dawn added, very curious.

"I have other strategies for beating earthquake. I have to, for Pikachu's sake. In fact, I'm sure you've seen some of them. I definitely used at least one during the Indigo League this year." Ash answered.

Both Misty and Dawn tried to think back to when this had happened, but they couldn't seem to remember exactly when or what Ash did. Though, he had been involved in quite a lot of matches and it was hard to remember each exact moment.

"I can attest to it." Brock mentioned.

"Me too." Serena added, remembering one time in particular.

"Well, okay then." Dawn agreed. She hadn't meant to sound as if she was doubting Ash because she wasn't, she just was having trouble remembering at the moment.

Everyone shared a smile before Max grabbed Ash's attention again.

"Hey Ash, thanks for the great battle. I had a ton of fun, even though I lost. It's incredible how strong you are." Max gushed to his idol and role model.

Ash laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "Thanks, Max. I just hope I'm good enough to do well when I take on the elite four challenge sometime this year."

"Oh yeah! I forgot that you get to face the elite four since you won the league!" Serena said, excitement evident in her voice.

"Hey, when Ash does decide to challenge them, how about instead of us all watching at home, we go and support him in person?!" Dawn tossed out the idea, to which she received a surplus of "Yeah's!"

A huge smile spread across Ash's faces as she heard the many agreements to the bluenette's suggestion. Having all of his friends there for the most important set of battles in his life thus far would be amazing.

"Thanks you guys, that would really mean a lot to me if you were there. No matter what happens, it's going to be a huge moment in my life." Ash said delightedly. He was truly grateful that he had friends whom were so supportive of him.

His smile faded however, as his eyes drifted to May, who was still quite far away from the group. Her gaze was locked with the ground, one arm holding the other.

Serena followed Ash's gaze. When they noticed this, the action was followed by all of the others doing so as well.

When Misty spotted May, she frowned. "I really don't know what's up with her today. She seems really down and reserved. She said she didn't want to come because she was tired and had stuff to do, but I don't think that was the real reason."

"Yeah, I haven't known her for too long, but I can tell that this definitely isn't like her. Something's got to be wrong." Paul added. Everyone nodded their heads, all being in agreement with his statement.

Ash looked down slightly as a look of guilt flashed across his face, though he made sure no one would notice. He knew that it was his fault that she was feeling this way; he knew he really hadn't done anything as it was May who'd kissed him, but he still felt fully responsible. Even though he'd enjoyed the it, at this moment, he cursed that kiss from ever happening. It was doing to them exactly what he didn't want...it was keeping them apart.

But that was something that he refused to let happen.

"Do you have any idea what's wrong with her, Ash?" Brock questioned, surprising Ash for a moment. He was so lost in his own his thoughts and guilt that he didn't notice the conversation going on around him. And now, he was going to be forced to lie.

Ash shook the idea of lying out of his head; that just wasn't who he was. Instead of responding, he made his way over to the beautiful brunette.

Ash stopped when he was directly in front of her, but May still didn't look up from the ground.

"May..." Ash said softly. He knew he had to be sensitive right now, and that meant his tone had to be as well.

May glanced up for a moment, but found it impossible to meet Ash's gaze. She quickly returned to staring at her new favorite spot on the ground.

Ash sighed to himself silently. He knew May extremely well and it was obvious that he wasn't going to get her to talk. Ash pondered for a few seconds on what he could do to spark a proper interaction with her before an idea finally came to mind. He wasn't entirely confident that it would work, but it was his best shot.

"May." He said, his voice a little more forceful than before, though still incredibly soft and soothing. This time, she forced herself to look at him, although she still avoided his eyes.

Now that they were face to face, Ash felt that what he was about to do had a chance to work. Knowing May, he was beginning to have faith.

"I challenge you to a battle. Right now." Ash said seriously, his eyes finally finding hers.

May, along with everybody else, were completely shocked at what Ash had just requested.

"Ash, I don' thin-" Misty started, but was stopped when Ash raised a hand, his eyes never leaving May's.

"Are we going to do this or what?" Ash asked, breaking May out of her surprised state.

May waited a few seconds, not knowing how to respond before she hesitantly nodded, agreeing to the battle.

May was definitely confused as to what Ash was doing, but she was willing to go along with it. In all honesty, all she could think about at the moment was how thankful she was that he hadn't told anybody about the kiss.

Ash sighed internally. At least his plan hadn't completely flopped.

__"Okay, now if I can just get through to her during this battle..."__Ash thought to himself, taking his place on his side of the field once again.

Ash watched May make her way to her side of the field, across from where he stood. He could tell she was unconfident about what was happening, but he knew that would change once the battle began. One of the things he loved about her was how intense she got during a competition, it always reminded him of himself.

He just hoped he would be able to bring that out of her.

Not even needing to be asked, Brock took his place between the two friends.

"This will be a one-on-one battle between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and May Maple of Petalburgh City. Please release your pokemon.

"Wow, this should be a good battle. A Grand Festival winner facing a Pokemon League winner." Misty whispered to Dawn and Serena.

"I don't know, Misty. It seems like Ash has gotten really strong over the past few years. And as much as I hate to admit it, the strength difference between a coordinator and a trainer is greater than you think." Dawn said as Serena nodded in agreement, knowing this as well.

Dawn knew that coordinators were no match for a trainer when it came to strength, leaving them at a great disadvantage in a regular battle. A coordinators ability to come up with combinations on the fly was really their only hope in a straight up battle against a standard trainer.

__"Well, May does kind of battle like a trainer. She's got that going for her along with her amazing combinations." __Dawn thought to herself, holding out some hope for her brunette friend.

This thought was thwarted, however, as she remembered that Ash's combinations and strategies rivaled even those of a veteran coordinator, again, leaving May at a disadvantage. She just hoped that May would do as well as she could and had fun. That was really all that mattered in the end anyway.

May knew that Ash was strong, and she was going to have to pull out all the stops to even stand a chance in this battle. No matter how hesitant and uncomfortable she was around Ash at the moment, she would always give her all in a battle.

"Blaziken, take the stage!" May tried to sound peppy, but failed as her voice faltered in the middle of her exclamation.

Appearing from her pokeball, Blaziken shouted her name in a battle cry. She gazed across the field, hoping to find out who she would be battling against. That was when her eyes happened upon Ash. A smile immediately broke out on her face as she ran to the ebony haired trainer, enveloping him in a hug. She was surprised to see how much he'd grown since they'd last seen each other, with him being slightly taller then herself now at 6'4''.

Ash laughed and hugged the bipedal pokemon in return.

"It's good to see you too Blaziken, but we're about to battle, so do you think you could let go?" Ash asked nicely, to which Blaziken happily complied.

Blaziken returned to her side of the field as Ash scouted his pokemon for the one he would use in this battle.

Both his Sceptile and his Lucario jumped to the front of all of the pokemon, desperately wanting to be the one chosen to battle. Ash looked over his two pokemon, trying to decide on one. He knew that Sceptile and Blaziken had a history and he definitely wanted another chance to fight Blaziken, but he had also used Sceptile more recently than Lucario.

He nodded to his Lucario as she took her position in front of her trainer. Sceptile was visibly upset at not getting the battle he felt he deserved. Ash took notice this and addressed it.

"Sceptile, I promise that you'll get your shot, don't worry." Ash attempted to calm the pokemon. Sceptile was still a bit peeved, but he accepted that the rematch would have to wait.

He became even more okay with what'd happened when Blaziken quickly made his way over to hi and hugged him tightly. Both pokemon blushed at the contact, but were both so happy to see each other again that they didn't care. Once they pulled apart, Blaziken reassured Sceptile that they would battle again soon, and that it was a promise. Sceptile now felt much better about not battling now and was ready to watch the upcoming battle.

Everyone smiled at the interaction between the two pokemon, even May smiled slightly. She'd always known how much her Blaziken liked Sceptile and seeing them reunited was a sweet moment.

Once that was taken care of, Blaziken returned to her side of the field, ready and roaring to go.

"Alright, Lucario Vs. Blaziken. Begin!" Brock exclaimed, starting the match.

"Lucario, start things off with a bone **rush**!" Ash shouted to his pokemon.

A blue club of aura formed between Lucario's hands as she took off towards Blaziken.

"Blaziken, counter with-" May's command was halted as Blaziken was sent flying, having been hit by the super effective attack.

May was stunned to say the least. Lucario's speed probably surpassed that of even Pikachu, and that was saying a lot. Luckily, it seemed that Blaziken had managed to move just a few inches, not allowing Lucario to land a critical hit, which would've taken a lot of of Blaziken, if not knock her out completely. May knew she had to be much more careful from that point on.

What she didn't know, however, was Ash's strategy. In reality, Lucario's speed was mostly an illusion. She was definitely fast in her own right, but she was being aided in her speed during that last attack. He had trained Lucario to use extreme speed along with bone rush every time she used the attack. It was a great way to get an opponent to think that Lucario was faster than she really was.

"Blaziken, let's go on the offensive!" May yelled, her confidence now fully returning. "Get in there with a **fire punch**!"

Ash knew the dangers of him using Lucario in this battle. His half steel typing made him weak to both fire and fighting types, where as Sceptile was only weak to fire. And while it'd be stupid to think that type match ups didn't matter at all, Ash had full confidence in his pokemon and knew that they could succeed, even in spite of the matchup.

"Lucario, extreme speed to dodge it!" Ash exclaimed. Lucario took off, attempting to get away from the bipedal pokemon. She was slowed however as the surprisingly fast Blaziken managed to just graze her with the super effective attack, which managed to hurt Lucario slightly. Now it was Ash's turn to be surprised.

"Wow, May. Blaziken is really fast." Ash complimented his friend and her pokemon.

"Well, she did have me as a trainer." May responded in a fake cocky tone. Ash smiled as he felt that the tension lifting. May was beginning to act normally again.

"Alright Blaziken, Sky Uppercut!" May commanded, feeling. The two pokemon were now in close proximity from the precious attack, leaving Lucario vulnerable.

Ash knew that if this attack hit, it would do a lot of damage due to Lucario's steel typing. Luckily, he had just the move to counter.

"Lucario! Detect!" Ash shouted.

Lucario closed her eyes, allowing her aura to detect the path of the sky uppercut, allowing her to dodge easily. She then rapidly returned to her trainer, planing to regroup.

"Are you alright, Lucario?" Ash asked, making sure the earlier Fire Punch didn't do too much damage. Lucario turned to face her trainer and nodded; the earlier attack hadn't done all that much damage and she was still roaring and ready to go.

Ash noticed something about his Lucario as she nodded. Her normally red eyes were emanating blue. Seeing this, his mind flashed back to when he'd just woken up in Professor Oak's lab. He recalled seeing himself in the mirror; his eyes holding the same blue coloration that Lucario's had.

It was only a second or two before the revelation hit him like a ton of bricks.

That was the reason Heal Pulse had worked on him and not the many others who'd tried before him, it had to be. It was his unique, more powerful Aura. It made perfect sense. He made sure to remember this information for later but for the time being, he still had a battle to win.

He returned from his daydream just in time for him to see his Lucario be hit with a Brick Break from the hands of Blaziken. She winced in pain as it made direct contact, but took it relatively well considering she was weak to the attack.

She thanked Arceus that Ash had made her and all of his other pokemon do 'weakness resistance training'. If it hadn't been for that, that Brick Break would have done a lot more damage than it did.

"Are you just going to let me win, Ash?" May asked teasingly. Though, she was curious as to what had distracted Ash enough to lose focus on the battle, even if it was just for a moment. Typically when he was in battle, he was laser focused, so it was safe to say that she was curious

Ash smirked, feeling ecstatic that May was acting normally again. He just hoped it would last after the battle was over.

"Dream on, Princess." Ash responded, his tone equally as teasing.

May matched Ash's competitive smirk before going on the offensive once again. "Blaziken, Night Slash!"

Hearing her trainer's command, Blaziken took off toward the blue jackal pokemon as she charged up her attack.

Ash's smirk grew. "Take it."

May looked utterly confused, and also slightly annoyed that it seemed he was letting her win. "Hey! I thought you said you weren't going to let me win."

Ash had to suppress a laugh. "Trust me... I'm not."

May shrugged and watched as her pokemon continued to prepare the attack. She had gotten a little overconfident after the last big hit and decided to mic things up by hitting it with a different move, even if that move wasn't necessarily one that would be very effective

May smiled as the damage from night slash was done. Lucario recoiled slightly, the damage she was taking beginning to add up. However, she suddenly felt stronger than ever as blue aura visibly began radiating from her.

May looked shocked and slightly intimidated by the sudden change. "What's going on?"

This time, Ash couldn't hold back his laughter. "Lucario has an ability called Justified. What that means is whenever she is hit by a dark type move, her attack power increases."

May mentally smacked herself. Why did she have to get overconfident and attack with that move.

May quickly recovered and put on a guise of confidence before speaking, "That won't matter because I'm about to take Lucario out! Blaziken, brick break!"

Blaziken rushed towards Lucario with blood lust in her eyes. It was easy to tell that she wanted this victory...badly.

Ash watched as the bipedal pokemon got closer. At what he considered the right moment, he issued a command. "Lucario, dodge and use drain punch!"

Lucario's aura enhanced reflexes allowed her to dodge the close combat fairly easily and deliver a drain punch directly into Blaziken's abdomen. Blaziken recoiled as Lucario began looking refreshed and rejuvenated; nearly all of the damage she had previously received was now gone.

Ash knew at this moment that this battle was his for the taking. And May knew this as well.

"Lucario, finish things off. Close combat!" Ash commanded.

Lucario quickly began a barrage of kicks and punches, each landing on different parts of Blaziken's body. The fact that Blaziken had recoiled after the Drain Punch was what allowed Lucario's Close Combat to hit so directly.

By the end of the assault, Lucario looked pretty okay over all, with the only things plaguing her body being a few scratches and a small burn. Blaziken on the other hand was teetering. Both Ash and Lucario were amazed that Blaziken was still standing. She was clearly a very strong, well trained pokemon.

But just a few moments later, she gave a nod of respect to Lucario before falling over, defeated.

"Blaziken is unable to battle. That means the winner is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town." Brock said professionally. He took his role as referee very seriously.

"Great job, Lucario! You were awesome out there!" Ash yelled as he ran to his pokemon and enveloped her in a hug. A certain green pokemon didn't like this however, as she ran towards the boy and tackled him, ending his hug with the Lucario.

"Bayleef Bay!" Bayleef cried.

Ash sighed and shook his head, a smile remaining on his face as Bayleef nuzzled him with her head.

"Okay, Bayleef... I know... I love you too." Ash spoke calmly to the pokemon. She was still very much obsessed with Ash.

She looked up at Ash and smiled before running back to join the rest of the pokemon crowd.

While all of this was happening, May returned Blaziken to her pokeball and made her way over to Ash, who was still seated on the ground after being assaulted by his Johto pokemon.

He quickly thanked Lucario once again before telling her to run off and join the other pokemon, who'd dispersed once the battle had ended. It was then that he finally noticed May.

"Need a hand?" May asked with a bright smile, extended her hand toward Ash..

Ash smiled back and took her hand to stand up. Once he was up, he spoke.

"That was a great battle May. You had me there for a while. I actually thought you were gonna win. Yo and Blaziken are really strong." Ash complimented the brunette beauty.

May scoffed. "Oh please Ash. If you hadn't got distracted, you would've won way earlier."

Although May thought herself to be strong, especially for a coordinator, she knew she was no match for Ash.

Ash frowned at May's words, "May, you should doubt yourself like that. You are one of the best trainers I've ever met. You and your pokemon share a bond that can't be rivaled and that's a trait only the best trainers have."

Ash then shot her his signature goofy smile.

May couldn't help but blush as his praise and his smile that she loved so much. "Well...I did have an incredible teacher."

May was blushing furiously, but she found that she didn't care at the moment as she stared into Ash's chocolate brown eyes.

Everyone watched on as the two shared a moment, Serena and Dawn both doing so with a bit of jealousy coursing through their veins.

Just when everything appeared to be back to normal, May remembered what'd happened the night before. As the memory returned to the forefront of her mind, she broke her gaze. Immediately, intense embarrassment took its hold over her once again.

Ash noticed the happiness on her face start to dwindle and grew worried that she was retreating back into her shell. Ash was usually good with words but at the moment, he could find nothing to say.

"I... uh, I gotta go." May said quietly as she took off, retreating back into the lab. Everyone seemed to be too shocked to move. May seemed to be back to normal, but just like that, she was back to how she was acting in the morning once again.

By now, most everyone had pieced together that they reason for May's odd behavior had to do with Ash in some way. Everyone was extremely curious, but decided not to press it at the moment, seeing the incredibly dejected look on Ash's face.

Ash sighed loudly in both defeat and sadness. He really thought that his plan had worked, and it had up until just a few moments ago. He realized now that if he wanted to things to return normal, he would need some help. He pushed that thought aside for the time being, however, as he turned his attention to his group of friends.

"Well...how about some lunch?" Ash asked, feigning happiness. He was clearly trying to break the somber mood that had built up around everyone.

Everybody was a bit hesitant as they all wanted some answers, but again decided now was not the time to press it. There would certainly be a time for that later.

Ash began walking through the lab and towards his house, everyone else following behind in silence.

* * *

__Viridian City__

As the gang was making their way back to the Ketchum residence, both James and Meowth could be found strolling down the streets of Viridian City.

Meowth never wore clothes, so nothing about his appearance had changed since he left Team Rocket, but James looked quite different.

Now lacking his signature Team Rocket uniform, he had to get a whole new wardrobe. Both himself and Meowth spent a few hours trying to find James a new outfit. His new look consisted of a plain white T-shirt under a black jacket with long white sleeves. Along with that was a pair of dark jeans and sneakers. He no longer looked like the hardened criminal people were reminded of when they would see the big red 'R' on his chest. Now, he looked almost...youthful, innocent.

James audibly sighed, noticing himself and Meowth had just passed the Pokemon Center for the third time. They had been mindlessly parading around the city for hours, trying to find something to occupy their time. Now that they were no longer in Team Rocket, they found themselves with a lot of it.

"Meowth?" James looked down at his long time friend. "What are we supposed to do now?"

Meowth looked sad, almost defeated at the mention of what was to come, simply because he didn't know.

"James my friend, I don't have the answer to that. All I know is that I'm glad to be out of Team Rocket and away from Jessie." Meowth said, to which James nodded in agreement. At least that was one positive.

"Yeah...I always knew she was off the wall, but I didn't think it would come to this..." James said sadly. Even though he'd spent countless years of his life trying to steal his Pikachu, he still hoped that Ash was alright.

In fact, both James and Meowth tried to get Jessie to leave Ash alone years ago, but she would have nothing of it. She refused to give up until she got what she wanted. In all honesty, this should have been an indicator that she would do whatever it took to get what she wanted.

"I really hope the twe-...that Ash is okay. I still can't believe what happened." Meowth stated sadly. Even though they'd spent years trying to steal his best friend, Ash'd still helped them out on many occasions, even saving their lives a number of times. In all honesty, they actually liked the raven haired trainer.

"Me too, Meowth. But even if he did survive, they're going to be going after him again. If Jessie really was sent to kill him, that monster Giovanni will make sure that the job gets done." Jame spoke through gritted teeth, angry at having to mention the name of his previous boss.

Meowth didn't respond as the two continued walking in silence for a few minutes. After a while, a idea popped into Meowth's head.

He smiled and grabbed James' attention. "James, I think I know what we do now."

Jame lit up at Meowth's words. "Really? What is it Meowth."

"You might want to wipe that smile off of your face James, because you probably won't like what I'm about to say." James paled a bit as Meowth continued. "If Ash managed to survived Jessie's attack, then Giovanni will no doubt attempt something else to get him killed, as you said already."

Seeing James nod, the scratch cat pokemon sighed and continued, "So what I'm proposing is...we help Ash. I really want to make up for what I've done over the years. I also want to make it up to Ash. He's saved our lives and has never turned us into the police, no matter how much we pestered him. Now that he may be dead I... I feel terrible. I know it probably sounds stupid-"

Meowth was cut off by James, "Meowth, that's not stupid at all. I never liked being the bad guy. I...I just had no where else to go. When I found you guys...it felt like I finally had a family that actually cared about me."

"I feel the same way buddy." Meowth said, his voice cracking a bit as a tear fell from his eye.

James nodded, a sad smile adorning his face. "And now that Team Rocket has turned even worse than before, I feel like we're obligated to do something. I think it's time we do some good for a change. I like the plan, I'm in. Are you?"

"You bet your sorry ass I'm in, brother." Meowth said happily as a tear cascaded down his cheek. He and James had created such a close bond over the years, and yet they hadn't even realized it until they were out of Team Rocket.

The timing didn't matter though, the two had each other. They both knew that they had somebody that they could always count on, no matter what.

"We should head to Pallet then. Arceus I hope that he's still alive." Meowth said.

"Yeah...we better hurry. I have a feeling something big is about to happen." James mentioned as the two began their trek to the Town of Pallet.

* * *

****A/N: Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed chapter 5. This chapter was originally going to be almost 25,000 words long, but I decided to split it into two chapters here. Also, I need your opinion on something. Would you rather have me write shorter chapters, around 4,000 to 5,000 words, or continue with the long ones? If I wrote shorter chapters, I would most likely be able to get out more than one a week. It's really up to you guys so tell me in a review. I also hope that the battles were okay. It was my first attempt at writing battles, so cut me some slack. Oh, and don't forget to vote in the poll on my page. Thanks and See Ya...in a few hours. ;)****


	6. Revelations and More Revelations

****A/N: First off, I want to make sure that everyone knows that Ash will not unlock his full Aura in this story. I was originally planning on having no Aura use in this story, but thanks to a PM from 'Uranium235' Ash might use his Aura a few times. It won't be very powerful, but it could possibly come out in a time of great distress...that's all I'll say about it for now. Enjoy Chapter 6!****

* * *

A Trial of Will

__Ketchum Residence, 3:30 Pm__

The gang, excluding May who had politely and hurriedly asked not to be bothered while she locked herself in Ash's room, all had a delicious lunch thanks to Brock, Delia and Mr. Mime. While the food was great, the atmosphere was anything but. Conversations were being attempted, but it just didn't feel right. Not while May seemed to be under so much duress.

After the tense lunch was completed, Brock offered to help Delia clean up around the house, much to the mime pokemon's displeasure. Paul and Max decided to go and train their pokemon up at the ranch, and Serena and Dawn were going to attempt to talk to May.

That left only Ash and Misty.

Immediately following lunch, Ash'd strolled into the back yard, taking a seat in the grass as he looked towards the bright blue sky. He'd opted to leave Pikachu to hang out with May's Glaceon in the family room. No matter how she was feeling, May knew that Glaceon wanted to see Pikachu, so she'd let her out of her ball in order to be with him.

Ash was planning on going to take a seat at his usual backyard retreat, but he just couldn't seem to bring himself to. After all, it was there that all of this tension had begun.

Ash sighed, silently praying that him and May could jut go back to the way things were before last night, before things got so complicated. A friendship like theirs was a once in a lifetime thing, and it was not something Ash would willingly part with.

Not without a fight.

Misty watched Ash through the kitchen window, seeing him seat himself on the grass in the middle of the backyard and watch the clouds roll by. Having had enough of being left in the dark about the whole situation, and having a very good feeling that Ash knew something she didn't, Misty marched outside, taking a seat next to Ash.

He was so lost in his thoughts that Ash didn't even notice Misty approach him. It wasn't until she sat down beside him cleared her throat that he took notice.

"Oh...Hey Mist." Ash said absentmindedly, barely even glancing at her before returning to his blank stare ahead.

Misty, never being one to beat around the bush, got right got the point.

"Ash, what's going on? What happened?" Misty asked softly.

Ash feigned surprise, even trying to change the somewhat pained expression on his face in order to make the act more believable. "What do you mean Mis-"

He was quickly silenced by the red head.

"Cut the crap Ketchum, I've known you for a long time and I know that May is acting strangely because of you. So tell me...what happened." Misty spoke sternly.

Ash sighed before looking to the sky. He thought back to earlier when he realized that he would need help if he wanted to fix things. He desperately wanted his and May's friendship to survive this, more than he'd ever wanted anything, including becoming a pokemon master; Ash valued his friends above all else, period.. With this in mind, he decided that it was worth the risk of telling Misty.

"Okay..." Ash said almost inaudibly. "Last night I couldn't sleep, so I came out here to look at the stars, like I always do when I have trouble sleeping. I was sitting on that porch swing over there, just staring at the sky, when May came outside."

He paused for a moment, making sure that Misty was following. Seeing that she was, he continued. "Well, we started talking. She felt really badly about what happened. That I got hurt. She felt like it was her fault."

"Ash, you were just being you. You've always put others before yourself and that's one of the things that everyone loves about you." Misty said sweetly to her best friend.

"Thanks, Mist. And I know, that's what I told her. I told her that it wasn't her fault and how if I could relive that moment again, I would do the same thing. I'd do what I did a million times over, even if I hadn't gotten so lucky in the end. She was crying by that point so I hugged her to try to comfort her. Then she started...thanking me. But not just for saving her, for everything I had done for her throughout all the time that we've known each other. I tried to tell her that she didn't have to thank me for anything, and that's when she..." Ash found it hard to speak as he neared the end.

"That's when she what, Ash?" Misty questioned; she was so close to getting an answer that Ash's pause was killing her.

"She, uh, she...kissed me." Ash said quietly. "And...I think I liked it."

Misty's mouth dropped to the floor, audibly gasping, when Ash told her this.

"_May kissed Ash? But why? Was it because he'd saved her life, or was there a deeper meaning behind it?"_ All of these questions were circling in Misty's mind as the two sat in silence.

For Ash, the silence that'd overtaken the two was uncomfortable. He greatly desired Misty's input on the matter. After all, he had no idea what to make of the kiss.

Misty on the other hand was trying to piece things together. She started with the facts.

Ash was undoubtably the most amazing guy that anyone would ever meet, and she knew that May more than felt this way as well. Misty admitted that she'd had a crush on Ash back when they traveled together, even allowing said crush to last all the way up until Ash took ob The Kanto Battle Frontier. However, those feelings had faded over time; she now thought of him as more of a brother, her best friend.

After piecing together everything she could think of, she believed she had an answer. After thinking back on a number of instances, hints and clues, she came to the conclusion that May's kiss did not stem solely from Ash saving her life, he'd done that before after all. No...

May definitely had feeling for him.

Misty promised herself that she would talk to May and the other girls about this at some point.

After minutes of, what to Ash was screaming silence, Misty finally spoke, "Ash?"

Ash looked at Misty, nearly shaking with anticipation. He desperately needed a way to fix this.

"I think May might have feelings for you. _Romantic_ feelings." Misty said, thoroughly shocking Ash.

"What!? No way! She's one of my best friends, how could she-"

Ash was cut off by Misty, "That's exactly it, Ash! You're an incredibly lovable person! Think about it, you've made friends with nearly everyone you've ever met, even Paul! You treat your friends as if they're the most precious things to you and it's amazing. Everything about you just makes people go crazy with love and happiness, girls especially! It's just so easy to fall for you Ash Ketchum!" Misty exclaimed as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, slightly annoyed at what was left of Ash's obliviousness. Misty knew she'd just said what eery single girl throughout the world who'd ever had feelings for Ash wished they could say. He needed to hear it.

Ash was shocked by Misty's words. All he could do at the moment was sit and stare wide eyed at Misty in silence.

"I'm going to tell you this because you are my best friend, Ash. I used to have a massive crush on you when we traveled together...Hell it lasted all the way up through when you took on the battle frontier." Misty said quietly, shocking Ash even more.

Ash somehow managed to find his tongue, albeit barely. "M-Misty ar-are you saying that-"

"No, I don't still have feelings for you." Misty stated, knowing where he was going. "I only told you this to prove my point. You are the most amazing person that I, and everyone of your friends has ever met, I'm sure of it. We all think this way. And it doesn't hurt that you're incredibly handsome too. You're just...so easy to love."

Ash could find no words. He just stared at Misty with wide eyes, his mouth slightly agape.

Misty sighed at seeing how surprised Ash looked. "And the worst part is...you don't even know that you're making people feel this way. You do so many amazing and romantic things for people, but you don't realize the effect those actions have on those people's hearts." Misty was letting out a lot of her pent up feelings and emotions. Feelings she had been holding onto since sh was 11 years old.

Misty sighed again before continuing. "But I know that you do all of those things because that's simply the kind of person you are. It just sucks sometimes because you don't understand girls' feelings very well. That's the reason that I got over you. Because I had to. Because no matter what hints I threw your way, you were too dense to notice them. It was like trying to get a brick wall to fall in love with love me. So after a while, I just gave up, I had to if I ever wanted to be truly happy again. It was the only thing left for me to do" Misty finished with a sad smile.

It felt good to finally tell Ash what every girl that had ever liked him thought. She hoped this conversation would help her best friend mature a bit in terms of relationships.

Ash's facial expression changed from one of shock to that of deep thought. He attempted to think back to any hints that either May or Misty had thrown his way, but he was drawing a blank for the moment. He decided that for the time being, he should jut focus on fixing things with May...and apologize to Misty for something he didn't even know he'd done...

"Misty, I...I am so sorry that I put you through all of that. You're definitely right about me not understanding girls' feelings, because I had no idea. Everything that you just told me is a complete shock and I really don't know what to think right now." Ash finished, pulling on his hair and letting out a frustrated growl.

Seeing this, Misty put a comforting hand on her best friend's shoulder, "Ash...it's not your fault. You had no idea what I was feeling and besides, those feelings are long gone now. You're like a brother to me and I'm here to help you figure out how to fix things with May."

Ash let the frustration fall from his face, finally allowing a soft smile grace his features. "Thanks Misty...that means a lot to me. I just really hope that me and May's friendship can recover from this."

Misty sighed again, she noticed that she had been doing that a lot lately. "Ash, I'm going to be honest... I don't know how things are going to turn out between you and May. It really all comes down to her."

She quickly took notice of the look of horror that overtook Ash's face. "But, I think that your friendship is too precious to May for her to just throw away because of her feelings. And besides, I might even be wrong about what she is feeling...though I sincerely doubt it."

"So...what do I do?" Ash sounded almost completely defeated. No matter what Misty said to try and reassure him that everything would be okay, he couldn't help but look at the worst case scenario.

"I'm going to talk to May as soon as I can but right now, I need to know something." Misty stated seriously. Seeing she had Ash's undivided attention, she continued. "Ash, how do you feel about May?"

Ash was taken aback by the question. How did he feel about May? How did he feel about anything right now? He really had enjoyed the kiss... Everything was just so jumbled up in his head at the moment. Luckily for him, as he was about to respond with some half-answer, the back door opened, revealing both Dawn and Serena.

Knowing that they couldn't very well continued their conversation at the moment, Misty shot Ash a glance that screamed 'we'll finish this later.'

"So...any luck guys?" Ash asked, praying that they had gotten through to May.

Both Dawn and Serena sighed in defeat.

"No good Ash. She refuses to talk to anyone. I just wish I knew what was wrong. I hate seeing her like this." Dawn said sadly as Serena nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, and this can't be easy for you either, Ash. It seems like she's completely avoiding you especially right now. Do you have any idea what is wrong with her?" Serena asked innocently.

Like everyone else, Serena desired some answers as to why her new friend was acting so strange, especially around Ash.

He hated doing it, but Ash was forced to lie. He couldn't bring himself to verbally deceive one of his closest friends, so he simply shook his head, indicating that he didn't know the reason.

"Okay...Delia said she needed some help with something, so I volunteered us, Misty." Serena's mood completely changed to one of happiness as she said this.

Misty cocked her head in confusion. Why would Serena volunteer her and not Dawn? They were closer than Serena and herself after all.

Noticing the confused look, Serena spoke. "Misty, we haven't had as much time as the others to get to know each other. I thought this would be a good time for that. Plus, I want to hear some stories from the early days of Ash's travels."

Misty smiled at the explanation. "Okay Serena, let's go."

With that said the two girls left through the door to help Delia, leaving just Ash and Dawn.

"So I guess that just leaves us, huh?" Dawn asked with a smirk.

Ash shrugged and smiled, "Yeah, I guess it does. Got anything you want to do?"

"Nothing in particular. I'm just glad we get to spend sometime with one another. We haven't had time alone together for years." Dawn stated, becoming giddy inside at the prospect of having Ash all to herself for a while.

"Well, how about I show you around Pallet Town? It's not much, but I think a walk would be nice. You up for it?" Ash questioned the bluenette.

Dawn could barely contain her squeal of excitement that she was finally getting to spend some alone time with Ash. She collected herself after the internal squeal and nodded happily, unable to contain all of the excitement she was feeling.

Seeing this, Ash led the way around the house and down the street to their first destination. Somewhere in front of the house, Dawn reach over and wrapped herself around Ash's arm, holding it to herself as they walked. BDespite being surprised by the sudden action, Ash simply shared a smile with the slightly embarrassed bluenette and allowed it.

The two walked in a comfortable silence for a while before Ash remembered something he'd quite literally just been told. Misty's words replayed in his mind.

_"...___You do such romantic and amazing things for everyone, but you don't realize the effect those actions have on people's hearts."__

He looked down at Dawn, who was currently grasping his right arm, smiling contently. He mentally scolded himself for being so stupid, especially after he'd just had a conversation with Misty about this.

He knew the action might upset Dawn, but that didn't stop Ash from prying his arm out of the bluenette's grasp. He prevented himself from looking at Dawn's face, not wanting to see how she would react to his action.

Ash would've been glad he didn't look because Dawn's expression would have broken his heart. She was absolutely dejected, questioning why he had made her let go. This contact with Ash made her feel that she may actually have a chance to be more than friends with him. She felt so right when she was holding Ash and she didn't want that feeling to ever stop. But instead of sulking, she decided to take action.

As the two continued their walk, Dawn slipped her hand into Ash's. He did his best to pull away, but the coordinator wouldn't let him. Ash mentally sighed to himself and eventually just allowed them to continue holding hands.

Even though he knew he shouldn't be risking doing this, especially after what happened with May, but the simple action made Dawn so happy, and Ash loved to see Dawn happy; it was like her joy was infectious.

He also reviled in just how soft and warm her hand felt; her touch was intoxicating. Throwing caution to the wind, he allowed the hand holding to continue.

As they marched on, the two broke into conversation. They talked more about past adventures and what they would be doing in the future.

"So Ash, what are you planning to do after you challenge the elite four?" Dawn questioned.

Ash smiled happily. He still couldn't believe how far he had made it, "I'm not sure, Dawn. I'm hoping that I can beat the elite four and become champion, but that's a long shot..."

"What? Ash you are the most amazing trainer I have ever met! What makes you think that you can't win?" Dawn inquired, curious as to why the usually confident boy was doubting himself.

Ash sighed, "I've trained really hard over the past few years and I really do think I have a shot. It's just...Lance and the elite four are on an entirely different level. I guess I'm just nervous..."

Even though Ash's lack of confidence was seeping into his voice, Dawn couldn't help but laugh. Ash looked at her with a mixture of confusion and mild annoyance. How could she be laughing at him when something was bothering him?

"What's funny about that, Dawn?" Ash asked, very curious.

"The great Ash Ketchum...nervous? What a loud of crap!" Dawn then calmed down her laughter and allowed a soft smile to grow on her face as she continued sweetly, "Ash, if there is one thing I learned from traveling with you, it's to never doubt yourself, no matter the odds. You proved to me, and everyone else, that you could come out on top, even when facing incredible odds! It just isn't like you to doubt yourself. I laughed because of how ridiculous it is that you think you can't win... because I know you can, Ash."

Ash couldn't help but smile brightly at the blunette's words. Her sweet tone of voice and praising also made him blush just slightly, but it went unnoticed by Dawn. He quickly felt his confidence rise back up to normal levels, her speech reinvigorating him a great deal.

Ash found it amazing how Dawn would always go out of her way to support him. He was always grateful for the bluenette's over the top support. She had supported him probably more than any of his other companions; that cheerleading outfit was just incredible.

Ash unintentionally let his mind wander to the image of the Dawn in her old cheer leading outfit. And with how Dawn had matured over the years, Ash thought that she'd look absolutely amazing in it now.

__"Wow...Dawn..."__Ash thought to himself, his hormones taking over his mind for a moment. He was brought back to reality by Dawn waving a hand in front of his face. He blinked a few times, trying to think of any thing else. Eventually, he cooled down enough to speak.

"Thanks, Dawn. You have no idea how much it means to me to know that you believe in me so much. You've always been one of my biggest supporters, and I can never thank you enough for that." Ash said with a sweet smile.

Dawn blushed at his signature smile and put her head down in order to hide it, but not before a large smile spread across her face. She was relishing in Ash's sweet words.

It was then that the two arrived at where Ash had been planning to go the whole time. He took a deep breath of the crisp air, allowing the overwhelming feeling of nostalgia wash over him.

"Pallet Town Park... It's been a long time since I was last here. I used to come here all the time with Gary. Everyday, we would run around this place, playing for hours." He smiled over the fondness of the memories.

It was almost as if Dawn could feel Ash's delight at being here, as a smile graced her beautiful face as well.

The park was really nothing special. It had a traditional jungle gym, consisting of monkey bars, a few tubes to crawl through, a fireman's pole and a swirly slide. None of this caught the attention of the two friends, however, as the both made their way, hand in hand, over to the swing sets.

Ash was surprised that their was no one there at the moment, but decided it best not to question it as he and Dawn took their seats on swings right next to each other.

They were both swinging lightly, allowing more conversations to break out between the two friends. They were both laughing and having a good time, but Dawn's mind kept wandering back to what Ash had said earlier.

Both Ash and May had taken a step toward achieving their goals, where as Dawn had yet to do the same. She was trying her hardest to forget about this and just enjoy her time with Ash but no matter what she tried, the depressing thoughts wouldn't leave her mind. She believed in Ash so much but her confidence in herself had been fading as of late...

Ash took notice of Dawn's downcast mood, deciding to press it to see if he could help her, "Dawn, what's wrong?"

By this time, the two had stopped swinging and were simply sitting on the swings.

Dawn looked surprised for a moment. She thought that she was hiding her sadness fairly well. Any shock she may have felt washed away quickly, however, as she realized just how well the two knew each other. There was no way to hide anything from him, not when they were as close as they were. Dawn was just glad that the one thing he couldn't discover from her was how she really felt about him...at least, for the time being.

"It's just... When you were talking about how you were nervous about facing the Elite Four, it got me thinking..." Dawn trailed off. "You've taken a real step toward your goal and May has as well, but I haven't. I still haven't won a grand festival. I've come so close, but I can never get that last push I need to win."

Ash looked at Dawn sadly. "Dawn...you _have_ taken steps towards your goal. Even if you haven't won a Grand Festival yet, look at all the other things you've accomplished. You won the Wallace Cup, you beat coordinators 30 years your senior!"

Ash made sure that Dawn was paying attention before speaking again, "And look at me, it took me eight years to finally win a league, and it took May well over seven, almost eight as well. You haven't been on your journey as long as us, and you've gotten way further than either of us had at the early stages of our careers. You're amazing Dawn and the sooner you realize that, the sooner you'll realize just how far you've come."

Dawn stared the boy, a wide, but shy smile spreading over her face. The blush from not long before had also returned full force. Ash always had a way with words; he could make her smile, no matter how down she felt.

The two were locked in a staring contest for a while, until Ash laughed nervously. He didn't know how Dawn felt about him, but this was how things started out with May just before...

__"I sure have been giving a lot of long winded speeches lately."__Ash thought to himself. Trying to push the idea of a repeat of what'd happened with May happening here from his mind.

Ash felt his heart sink, imagining his fears being realized as Dawn stood from her swing and stood in front of Ash shyly.

Dawn was feeling very confident after she heard what Ash had to say about her. She felt ready, ready that she could tell him how she felt about him. However, as quickly as the confidence came, it was gone; the prospect of how life changing her confession could be had scared her enough to lose her confidence for the moment. Now however, here she was, standing in front of him, looking as shy as can be.

Dawn had to find a way out of this. Doing the only thing she could think of, she leaned in and hugged Ash. The raven haired trainer was slowly growing more nervous, even though the contact with Dawn was more than pleasant.

However, Dawn had an ulterior motive for the hug; it was definitely for more than just expressing thanks. As she began to release the boy, she snatched Ash's hat from atop his head and took off towards the jungle gym.

"Hey! Dawn, that's my hat!" Ash yelled, giving chase to the bluenette.

Dawn laughed as she taunted her friend with his cap. She felt the mood was getting much too serious. After all, this was supposed to be a fun day with just her and Ash, and she intended to enjoy it as best she could.

"I thought your last name was Ketchum? So why can't you catch me?" Dawn teased from the top of the jungle gym.

"Oh, like I've never heard that one before...I'm so gonna get you!" Ash screamed from the ground. He took off quickly up the steps and through a tunnel that would lead to Dawn's position on the top of the jungle gym.

Ash was preparing to pop out from the tube and grab Dawn, "I...gotcha!" Ash grabbed where Dawn was supposed to be, but instead he only found empty space. He looked around, confused.

Dawn noticed his bewilderment and giggled, "Hey! Down here!"

Ash followed the voice to where his blue haired friend was standing on the ground near the swing set. "Did you forget about the slide?"

Ash face palmed as he realized that Dawn got away by going down the slide.

"I am so gonna get you, Dee Dee." Ash said with a confident smirk, using her old nickname...which she hated. Ash quickly made his way down the slide and once again took chase, attempting to catch up to the fleeing Dawn.

"Don't call me that!" Dawn yelled over her shoulder as she to put some distance between herself and Ash, laughing all the while. Even though she hated being called Dee Dee, she was touched that Ash remembered that stupid nickname after all these years.

As she yelled, she noticed Ash gaining on her. They were now in an open grassy field, situated directly next to the playground. She knew that Ash would eventually outrun her, but that didn't mean she wouldn't try to escape. She put her all into trying to get away but eventually, Ash caught up to her.

Ash grabbed her around the waist and spun her around in the air, causing both to laugh.

"I told you I'd get you Dawn." Ash said with a confident smirk as he continued to hold her around the waist.

Dawn was still laughing and managed to calm down only a little in order to speak, "Okay Ash, you win."

Dawn then spun around in his arms so that the two were facing each other. She was looking up into his eyes, meeting their warm, kind stare. Ash was also looking into her deep blue eyes, a smile still gracing his lips. This was exactly what he needed at the moment; a nice day out with a great friend.

Dawn on the other hand, was thinking something different. She was absolutely lost in his rich, brown eyes. She was thinking of making a move, hoping to express just how she felt; in Ash's arms, she felt as if she were invincible. However, fear of rejection once again overtook her, so she opted for something else.

Without breaking her gaze, Dawn took Ash's hat and placed it on his head, pulling it down over his eyes in the process. She couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous he looked.

Ash stood unmoving, not fixing his hat, with an unamused expression on his face. But it was obvious to Dawn that he was just faking being unamused to get a reaction out of her, which she wasn't ashamed to say, worked.

"You always have to have the last laugh, don't you Dawn?" Ash asked, fixing his cap in the process, a warm smile making its way to his lips.

Dawn shrugged. "What can I say, the last laugh is always the most satisfying."

Ash sighed, causing Dawn to giggle as they both took a seat on the grass. Ash opted to lay down and Dawn soon followed suit. This was followed by a comfortable silence between the two; each appreciating the peacefulness the quiet brought them.

As they watched the clouds roll by, Dawn decided to say something that had been on her mind for a while.

"Hey Ash?" Dawn asked, looking over to him from her laid back position.

"Hmmm?" Ash responded, having his eyes closed as he enjoyed the cool Kanto breeze.

"I don't know what you are going to do after you challenge the Elite Four, but if you plan on traveling again...then I want to come with you."

Ash opened his eyes and looked back at Dawn with a huge smile on his face.

"That would be great, Dawn! And you know me, I can't exactly stay in one place for too long, so of course I'll be traveling again. I would love it if you came with me! I've really missed traveling with you." Ash spoke sincerely.

Dawn's smile widened as she looked at Ash. She hadn't doubted that Ash would say yes to her request to traveling with her again, but it felt good to actually hear him say it.

The two spent the rest of the evening in the park, playing, relaxing and just enjoying each others company.

Despite all that was going on, this was one of the most enjoyable day's of their young lives.

* * *

__Ketchum Residence, 10:30 PM__

Both Dawn and Ash returned home hours ago, just in time for dinner. Sadly, May still refused to leave Ash's room, so the slightly uncomfortable tension still hung over the group as they ate.

Apparently, Max had challenged Paul to a battle when the two were training. Although it was slightly closer than his battle with Ash, Paul ultimately won by a quite a large margin.

Serena was quick to question where Ash and Dawn had been all day. Helping Delia and bonding with Misty only ended up taking an hour and after she was done, she was planning on spending time with Ash, only to find that he had left with Dawn.

Dawn explained how they went to the park and had an amazing time. Serena put on a smile but inside, she felt anger and jealousy build. She had her suspicions as to how Dawn felt about Ash and the thought of the two of them alone together frightened her.

However, Serena was never the type of girl to be mean to others, not unless they truly didn't deserve her kindness. This trait was what allowed Serena to accept that Ash and Dawn hadn't spent quality time together in years and that they deserved to have their moment. Plus, she already considered Dawn a friend, so she really couldn't hold it against her.

Now, it was late in the evening. With everyone having fairly eventful days, they were worn out.

Brock, Paul, Max and Delia were the first to head to bed. It was at this time that the girls realized that they had a bit of a problem, of which Ash was attempting to help them solve.

"So...How are we going to do this?" Serena questioned, referring to the situation with May and the fact that she was in their shared room and seemed unwilling to let anyone in.

"She has to understand that we are just trying to go to bed. I think she'll let us in. And who knows, maybe she's ready to talk now." Dawn rationalized.

"Well, good luck to you all. I'm going to head to bed. I'm exhausted." Ash stated as he took off towards the living room.

Serena sighed loudly, "Well...we should probably head to our room as well. I'm not that tired, but maybe we can get May to talk."

Both Dawn and Misty nodded in agreement as they three girls made their way up the stairs.

Misty didn't say it out loud, but she planned on getting May, along with all the other girls, to talk about how they felt. More specifically, how they felt about Ash. She thought that if everyone's feelings were out in the open, then they would be easier to deal with.

At this point, Misty was guessing that both Serena and Dawn had feelings for Ash as well as May. This assumption was simply based on the way the acted around him, how they spoke about him.

They reached Ash's room quickly. Misty took the initiative and knocked on the door.

"May? It's us. I know you said you wanted to be alone, but we're exhausted and we're kind of sharing this room." Misty reminded the girl.

As a matter of fact, May wasn't even supposed to be in this room at all; her original designated sleeping spot was downstairs on the couch. But due to the circumstances, Misty could understand why she might not want to sleep there at the moment, with Ash just a few feet away.

At first, there was no response from the brunette inside the room. This lead the three women to think that May might have fallen asleep. After a few minutes of silence, Serena sighed and motioned for the other girls to follow her downstairs. They would just have to find another place to sleep.

As they turned to leave, they heard the sound of the door unlocking and opening slowly. The girls stopped and turned their heads, only to meet May's bloodshot eyes from behind the slightly open door.

"C-Come in." May said in a pathetic tone of voice. Misty, knowing why she was acting this way, felt awful for her friend. Not to say that the others didn't feel bad as well, they just didn't know the full story...yet.

Without saying a word, Misty lead the way into Ash's bedroom, May finally allowing the door to fully open. May regretted turning the lights on as now, it was blatantly obvious due to her puffy, red eyes that she had been crying all day.

All three girls took notice of this, but set it aside for the time being. Each girl took their pajamas and one by one, they took turns using the bathroom in order to change into them. Not long after, May reclaimed her position on Ash bed, her knees pulled up to her chest.

Misty was the last to get changed. As she left the bathroom, she took notice of everyone's positions and the awkward silence that filled the room. Dawn was seated at the foot of the bed, looking at May sadly. The brunette didn't notice this, however, as she was currently staring absentmindedly at the bedsheets she was seated on.

Serena was seated atop of her sleeping bag, also gazing at the brunette. She was upset that her new friend was feeling so awful, but she couldn't find the courage to ask why.

Misty took a deep breath, preparing herself for the conversation that she was about to start. If what she thought was correct, this could end disastrously.

She slowly made her way over to the bed, taking a seat next to Dawn, making sure to take the side that was closer to May.

"May?" Misty attempted to get the girl to look at her. When she didn't, Misty tried again, but with more force this time around, "May, look at me."

Reluctantly, May pulled her head from between her knees and met Misty's gaze. At this time, the three girls were allowed a good look at May's eyes. It not only looked as if she had been crying all day, but it was also easy to tell that she was exhausted. Both Dawn and Serena were glad that Misty seemed to be attempting to get May to talk. something they knew she desperately needed to do.

After succeeding in getting May's attention, Misty took another deep breath before continuing.

"May, it's obvious something is wrong and if you don't talk about it, then it will just keep eating at you until you can't take it anymore." Misty said seriously. She knew why she was feeling the way she was, but she wanted to give May the opportunity to tell everyone herself.

May looked almost frightened, looking from Misty to Dawn to Serena and then back to Misty. Rather than responding verbally, she shook her head in the negative.

Misty sighed, "May, you're going to talk one way or another."

May looked at the girl, confused as to what she was talking about. Misty leaned in and cupped her hand around May's ear before whispering.

"May...I know this is about Ash. I know what happened." Misty slowly retracted herself and watched her friend for a reaction.

Misty was hoping that now that May knew that she knew what was going on, she would just come clean to everybody. But instead of doing what she'd hoped, May instead let more tears drip down her face as she turned redder than a tomato berry.

"Misty! What did you say to her!?" Dawn shot at the redhead accusingly. She was feeling very protective of her best girl friend at the moment.

Misty didn't respond, or even acknowledge, the blunette. Instead, she continued speaking to May, this time, allowing everyone in the room to hear.

"May, we're your friends. If you just let us know what's wrong, we'll be able to help you." Misty was almost pleading at this point. She really didn't want to be the one to tell everybody. She knew it would be better if it came from May herself.

But still, May remained silent. The only sound coming from her was an occasional sniffle.

This was Misty's last hope at getting her to talk and she knew it. It was obvious that May was breaking. "May, if you just get your feelings out in the open, then everything will be easier to handle... I promise."

Both Serena and Dawn's ears perked up at hearing the redhead's last statement. They were both smart girls and based on what Misty was saying, they pieced together that she knew something about what was going on. At least...knew more than they, or anyone else did.

"May, what is Misty talking about? What feelings? We just want to help you and we can't do that if we don't know what happened." Serena pleaded. They were so close to discovering what was going on inside of May's head.

They were so close to being able to help her.

However, May still refused to speak. In fact, the most recent barrage of questions from Serena had pushed her over the edge. She quickly threw her head between her knees and began sobbing.

Misty waited a few moments, allowing the girl to calm down a bit before she would say the last thing she could think of. It was obvious that May was too embarrassed or ashamed to speak, so Misty knew what she had to do.

"May, can I tell them? Can I tell them what happened between you and Ash?" Misty asked, making sure to sound as delicate as she could.

If they weren't completely drawn in before, then Dawn and Serena certainly were now. They had suspected that May's condition had to do with Ash but now, they knew for sure.

May never looked up from her knees, but she did momentarily stop her cries. The entire room was completely silent for a few minutes as May pondered over what to do. Eventually, Misty noticed May nod her head, albeit barely. It was easy to tell that she wasn't sure if this was the right thing to do.

Misty took a deep breath and looked to both Dawn and Serena before speaking.

"May, she...May kissed Ash." Misty struggled slightly to get the words out, she was still trying to figure out how to word what she was going to say. But in the end, she decided the more blunt, the better.

May let the sobs return, keeping her head between her knees.

Misty allowed her eyes to flip between both Dawn and Serena, looking for a reaction. She was surprised when neither of their facial expressions changed. The were both stoic as they let the information sink in.

Noticing their lack of reactions, Misty thought that she might have been wrong about the two girls having feelings for Ash. That was, until she noticed Serena and Dawn were both staring blankly ahead.

Her earlier theory was further confirmed as she watched a single tear trace it's way down Serena's face, without her even reacting to it. That tear was soon followed by many others as her stoic expression morphed into one of sadness and she began to cry.

Dawn, while fighting back her own tears, felt that she deserved answers. She was extremely confused and taken aback by what was said.

She turned her attention to May, who still hadn't looked up from her knees. Dawn then proceeded to ask the number one question that was in her mind.

"Why May? Why did you kiss him?" Dawn asked, sounding as if she was pleading that it had just been an impulse, one time thing.

Still, May didn't look up as she continued sobbing into her knees. Misty decided to do some explaining, knowing at least Ash's side of what happened.

"May blamed herself for the fact that Ash almost died. Ash told me that she kept apologizing and he explained to her that it wasn't her fault. He comforted her when she broke down and she just...kissed him." Misty explained what she had learned from Ash.

"I-I'm can't know for sure why she did it. It could just be becau-"

Misty was cut off by May, who had not stopped crying, but had lifted her head from her knees.

"I kissed him because I'm in love with him! Madly, deeply, head over heels in love with him, okay!?" May yelled. Immediately after her outburst, she broke down one again and placed her head back into its new favorite spot.

Even Misty was shocked by this. She knew that May had to have feelings for Ash, but she had no idea just how deep those feelings ran. Though as she thought about it, it did make sense.

Upon hearing this revelation, Dawn joined Serena, allowing tears to cascade from her beautiful blue eyes.

After a few moments of crying without interruption, Misty took charge again. She had indirectly caused this, and she had to complete what she set out to do. Now that she knew for sure that all three girls had feelings for Ash, she just had to get them out in the open.

"Everyone needs to stop crying right now." Misty said forcefully. "Crying isn't going to fix anything. All of you need to share what you're feeling."

It took a few minutes but eventually, everyone's crying, even May's, had died down. Misty was right. They had to be open about their feelings if they were going to figure anything out.

May was the first to speak, "I-I just don't want to lose Ash as a friend, even if he doesn't love me back, all because of one stupid kiss. I can't lose him. I can't live without him, even if we're only ever just friends."

For the first time, May looked around, noticing the freshly red eyes of both Dawn and Serena. She hadn't noticed them crying before due to her own sobs and she was definitely confused

"W-why were you guys crying?" May asked, still sounding broken.

"Why do you think?!" Serena spat with more venom than she'd intended.

Slowly but surely, the pieces began to fall into place in May's mind. There was only reason that they would cry when they found out that she was in love with Ash. Her eyes widened as she realized...

"Y-You guys have feelings for him too, don't you?" May asked dejectedly.

Dawn spoke up before Serena could answer. "...I'm in the same boat as you. I'm in love with Ash. I love him with all my heart,, more than anything in the world. It has been dormant for so long but once I saw him again, I just knew."

"I've loved Ash for as long as I've known him. Ever since we met up in Kalos...I've been so incredibly in love with him that it hurts." Serena added, though she believed that no words could ever truly describe just how much she loved the raven haired trainer. AL three girls felt this way, actually

"I'm assuming that none of you have told him?" Misty inquired, being very careful with how she spoke. She knew that the three girls were in their most fragile and vulnerable states of their lives at the moment, and one harsh comment could potentially break them completely.

She got a collection of three head shakes, indicating that they had not told him.

Trying to lighten the tension in the room, Dawn spoke up with a half hearted chuckle. "I guess we have a bit of a dilemma on our hands, don't we?"

"You could say that..." May said sadly. Three girls were now vying for Ash's heart.

Serena felt an anger rise up in her that she had never felt before. She couldn't believe that she couldn't see through all the hints.

"What I don't understand, is if you two love Ash so much, then why did you leave him?" Serena spat, speaking before truly thinking.

Dawn, May and Misty took notice of the bitterness evident in her voice. Misty knew things could turn ugly very fast if this was the way they planned on handling this situation.

May began crying again after hearing this, "I-I wish I never did. I was just a stupid kid back then and I thought I needed to go off on my own to become stronger. I still can't believe how wrong I was..."

Dawn, instead of breaking down like May, felt anger of her own well up inside of her, "What about you? You may not have left, but at least we don't cling to him like he's our lifeline!"

Serena and Dawn were shooting daggers at each other, May continuing to cry. Misty knew something had to be done before this got out of hand.

"Both of you stop it right now!" Misty scolded the two, almost sounding like a mother. "This is ridiculous, you guys are supposed to be friends! Yet here you are, at each others throats and crying about it. I know it sucks that you're all in love with the same guy, but at least you have someone to love! Not everyone can say that! And besides, you fighting or weeping won't make Ash fall for you. Ultimately, it's Ash's choice if he loves any of you, and you guys need to deal with it because you do not want to lose an amazing friend like Ash Ketchum!"

After hearing Misty speak, May immediately forced herself to stop crying. Both Dawn and Serena quickly looked away from each other in regret.

"Dawn I-I'm sorry. You too May, I shouldn't have said what I did. I really am sorry." Serena spoke sadly.

Dawn shook her head, "No Serena, I should be the one apologizing. I had no right to call you clingy. You were just doing what all three of us wish we would have done. And that would be following Ash wherever he went."

"I'm so sorry I kissed him. I had no idea that you loved him as well. The only reason this was even brought up was so that you could help me act normally around Ash again. I had no idea I would leave here knowing that my friends and I shared a common love." May added.

"So...what do we do from here? Do we all try to just forget about our feelings? Do each of us pursue him until he picks one of us? ..._if_ he picks one of us. Do we share him?" Serena asked these questions almost pleading that someone would have an answer.

Everyone's eyes widened at her last suggestion, but no one said anything as they simply didn't have an answer to anything she'd asked. None of them knew what to do now.

Misty decided to speak up. "All you really can do is act normally. I just hope that this doesn't tear your friendships apart. Love is the most powerful emotion there is and I'm a bit worried that it may overtake you. With that being said, it's ultimately Ash's decision who he wants to be with."

Everyone listened to Misty's words, taking them in. They knew that the redhead was right about everything she'd said. This feeling of love that each woman felt for Ash was by far the most powerful emotion any of them had ever experienced.

"Let's all make a promise then. We need to promise that our feeling won't get in the way of our friendship." Dawn said, wanting desperately to not have their relationships with one another, even her newer friends, to crumble because of this. Though, she didn't know if this was going to be possible...

"I agree, but that doesn't mean that I'm not going to do everything in my power to get Ash to love me the way that I love him." Serena added, wanting to make sure everyone know that she wasn't just going to let Ash go. She wanted nothing more in life than to be with Ash and now, there was a greater sense of urgency to act than ever before. That being said, she knew she still had to be careful and conquer her own fears.

May nodded, a forced, almost fake smile adorning her lips. She hated to think it, but if it came down to her friendship with either Dawn and Serena or Ash, she would pick Ash every day of the week. She considered Dawn to be her best female friend, and she really did like Serena and already considered her a close friend as well, but this was just how it was. May loved him more than anything and she didn't doubt the other girls did as well. For now though, the only problem was how she was going to act normally around Ash after what'd happened.

Misty, seeing May still conflicted, spoke softly so that only May could hear, "May, if you're going to have any kind of chance with Ash, then you need to get over your embarrassment. You shouldn't even be embarrassed that you kissed him in the first place, he even told me that he liked it. Now from Ash, that could mean anything, but at least it's something. Ash isn't acting strange around you, so you just need to get over it and act normally around him again."

May listened to Misty's words, allowing a stupid grin grew on her face as she heard that Ash liked the kiss. That was so incredible to hear because to her, the kiss was the most amazing thing she had ever experienced.

Allowing the dreamy moment to pass, she nodded in understanding. She knew Misty was right. She just had to get over her embarrassment and go from there. She wanted to earn Ash's love, but the first thing she needed to do was start acting like friends again.

Both Dawn and Serena seemed to be sharing thoughts. They both would put their all into earning Ash's love because to them, it was the most important thing in the world.

"Well, we should really head to bed. It's late and we have another full day ahead of us." Misty said, to which everyone agreed.

Everyone said their goodnights before they took their sleeping positions. But as a showing of continued friendship, May gave up the bed for Serena, to which she appreciatively complied.

Both May and Dawn, however had opted to take a pillow from Ash's bed. Even though it had been forever since Ash had slept on one of these pillows, they were both convinced that it still smelled like him. This was something that filled them with a comfort they had never experienced before.

With everyone feeling extremely tired, they drifted quickly off to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed a very romance-filled chapter 6. Next chapter is going to be probably the most important chapter of the story thus far as it will finally begin the main plot. (I know, this is going to be a long story). I also want to assure everyone that I promise this story will be seen through to completion. One of my biggest dislikes is when a great story comes along, but doesn't get finished. Oh and BTW, the rating of this story will eventually change to M when I see fit so...yeah. Anyways, chapter 7 will be out soon. See Ya!**


	7. Help and the Beginning

A Trial of Will

Morning time came quickly for the residence of the household. After a long and emotional night, the girls currently residing in Ash's room opted to sleep in for a while. it was now 11:00am, and the first of them was only just waking up.

Serena's eyelashes fluttered as sleep began to escape her. After about a minute of refusing to get up, she finally gave in, allowing her day to begin. She stretched whilst in the midst of a yawn while looking around the room. She noticed everyone else was asleep.

_"Hm...I must have gotten up early."_ Serena thought to herself.

Expecting to confirm her assumption, she glanced at the Voltorb alarm clock on Ash's bedside table. She was shocked when she saw that it was 11:00 in the morning. And that not only her, but everyone else currently in the room had slept this late as well.

She thought the reason for everyone being so exhausted must have been because of all the emotional distress from the previous night.

Deciding that everyone had slept enough, Serena woke the other girls up one by one.

She started with Misty, figuring over the last couple of days that she didn't mind being woken up, and ended with Dawn who...let's just say was the opposite of Misty.

Eventually, everyone was awake and began getting read more of the day, got ready with haste.

Apparently, "with haste" for May, Dawn and Serena meant only taking 20 minutes to do their morning routines. After everyone was ready to go for they day, they headed down stairs, hoping to find some food.

About half way down the stairs, May's stomach grumbled loudly. She giggled and rubbed the back of her head, embarrassed, "Hehe...I guess I'm pretty hungry."

Dawn sighed before responding, "I swear May, you're always hungry. You probably eat more than Ash!"

Rather than responding, May's, as well as Serena's and Dawn's mind began to wander to the Raven haired boy again. They imagined different scenarios, but they all shared one common idea...today, they were going to spend all the time they could with Ash.

Even with everything that'd happened, Ash almost dying, finding out that more than just one person had feelings for said boy, all three girls were still too afraid of telling him their feelings.

No matter how Ash had grown over the years, he was still pretty dense when it came to love, and the thought of him not understanding their feelings and rejecting them terrified the girls to death.

Putting the thoughts at the back of their minds for the moment, the proceeded downstairs and into the kitchen, only to find Brock eating a sandwich at the table, alone.

Brock looked up from his book that he was reading as he was eating to see the group of girls standing in front of him.

He put a smile on his face before speaking, "Hey. So you finally decided to get up I see. Why did you all sleep so late?"

Not one of them was willing to respond, but they know that if the didn't, Brock would ask questions, something they did not want to deal with at the moment.

Misty, seeing the fear on the other three girls' faces, decided to take charge, "You know, just a long night of hanging out and having fun! Isn't that right?"

May looked to Misty and then back to Brock with a wide smile on her face, "Yeah! We had a ton of fun last night!"

Dawn noticed what was happening and knew she had to chime in as well, "For sure!"

Rather than adding another verbal response, Serena just happily nodded her head in agreement.

Brock continued to stare at the group for a few moments, seemingly thinking. He thought that Misty's, as well as the others', responses seemed a little too happy and excited; something was just out of place. This just confirmed his thought that the girls were hiding something.

He knew this because he had seen all the girls asleep relatively early last night. He had gone to the kitchen to get a glass of water and decided to check to make sure that the girls were sleeping okay. He had opened the door to see them all sleeping soundly, and this had been at around 12:00, meaning the girls were not up terribly late. They really shouldn't have needed all that sleep. That is, unless something'd happened.

But Brock, always being one to respect others' privacy, decided not to question why they weren't being truthful. He'd known all of these girls for a long time, and he knew that they wouldn't lie unless they had a good reason.

Brock just gave them a head nod in response. "So, can I interest you guys in some breakfast...or brunch. That might be a better word for it considering the time."

Dawn laughed sheepishly and responded for the group, "Yeah...If it isn't any trouble Brock, some food would be great."

"No need to worry Dawn. I love cooking, especially for my friends." Brock beamed.

Dawn smiled at hearing her longtime friend use her signature line. Her smile was knocked off of her face however, as she was nudged aside rather forcefully. The culprit turned out to be May, who was rushing to get a seat at the table, obviously eager for food.

"May! Watch where you're going!" Dawn yelled angrily.

Normally this wouldn't have been a big deal in the slightest, but her emotions were a little out of whack from last night, causing her to lash out.

"Well, you shouldn't have been in my way." May mumbled under her breath. However, Dawn still managed to hear it.

"What was that!?" Dawn screamed, causing Brock to try and intervene.

"Ladies! Stop it! Why are you at each others throats over nothing!?" Brock questioned loudly, making sure he would be heard.

His words were lost in the screaming match now going on between Dawn and May however. Somehow, even Serena had managed to get herself into the argument and was screaming along with the others.

All Brock and Misty could do now was wait until they were done with their screaming match.

"Maybe if you weren't so hungry all the time! You know what, I think you might be getting fat!" Dawn exclaimed, hitting a sore spot for May.

"I am not, you bitc-" May started but was stopped when they heard voices from outside the kitchen door that lead to the backyard.

"Come on Paul, it wasn't that bad. You too Max, suck it up." The muffled voice of Ash could be heard through the door.

"Pika!" Pikachu said in an almost mocking tone.

Upon hearing this, all anger evaporated from the three girls as they calmly took their seats, much to Brock and Misty's relief, and the former's slight surprise.

Without delay, the door opened revealing a very sweaty Ash, Paul and Max. Ash was extremely sweaty, sure, but no where near to the point Paul or Max were. Both of their shirts were almost like a second skin to the two them. It honestly looked as though they had just gone swimming.

"Ash, that is now what I imagine hell to be like..." Paul mumbled as he groggily entered the house, followed by Max.

Max looked like he was try to say something, probably to agree with Paul, but he was too exhausted to speak.

All Ash could do was laugh. Sure, he was tired and sweaty too, but he was somewhat used to his training. Although, even after two years of doing this everyday, Ash still felt as though he would never get fully used to the training he put himself and his pokemon through; it truly was brutal.

Eventually, Ash turned away from his two male friends and noticed the quartet of girls sitting around the kitchen table.

"Oh, hey. Good to see that you decided to wake up today. We came back here to get some water earlier and Brock said you still weren't up, and that was at 10." Ash finished with a smile.

Dawn, May, Serena and Misty all looked at the man with happy smiles, their moods completely changing by seeing Ash.

"So...care to explain why Paul and Max look like they were just pushed into the ocean?" Serena questioned teasingly, hoping to strike up a conversation.

Ash chuckled and looked to Paul, who was currently chugging down a bottle of water after taking a seat, and then to Max, who had his head down on the table. He smiled to himself before responding.

"Those two? Oh, they decided that they wanted to try out my training methods. I agreed, but told them that I would have to take it easy on them. But they couldn't accept that, no, they had to do my regular workout which as you can see, might have been a mistake." Ash said, pointing to the two.

"Ash is a psychopath! I don't even know how he can survive what he just put me through, let alone do it everyday! I've never ran, lifted or even moved that much in my life! I'm serious, he's crazy!" The purple haired trainer spoke quickly, before loosing all energy and putting his head down on the table, like Max.

Speaking of Max, he responded with a grunt without lifting his head from the table.

Ash giggled at this, and while most everyone else did as well, some in the room looked slightly concerned for the two.

"...They're going to be okay, right?" Asked Misty, slightly worried about the two trainers given their conditions.

Ash just giggled a bit more before responding, "Yeah, they'll be fine, they just need some rest. They will definitely be sore, but I'm sure that after a long bath and some stretching, they'll be back to normal in no time. But as for right now...they're going to need a little time."

Now that they knew that they were going to be okay, everyone in the room couldn't help but laugh. They had an idea of how hard Ash trained, but after seeing Paul and Max, they knew that the training had to be incredibly intense.

Ash didn't say anything, but he was incredibly glad to see May downstairs and laughing again. He was really afraid that their friendship might have been really messed up, possibly even ruined by what'd happened. He didn't want to say anything to her yet in fear of freaking her out and causing her to leave again, but at least her being here was a step in the right direction.

The laughing had completely died down by this point and they were left in a comfortable silence as Brock continued to cook a nice brunch for the girls.

May mostly had her eyes locked on Ash, but for a few seconds, they went to Misty, who was starring back at her with intense and expectant eyes.

Misty motioned towards Ash with her eyes, who still was yet to sit down as he was trying to help Brock with his cooking.

May immediately understood what Misty was trying to tell her. Her mind wandered back to what Misty had told her the day before. She had to get over any awkwardness she was feeling with Ash if she ever wanted to be friends, or especially if she wanted a chance to be with him on a deeper level. She was still nervous, but she knew it had to be done.

May took a deep breath, gathering herself before standing up from her chair, gaining the attention of everyone currently sitting at the table. She slowly made her way over to Ash, who was bending over to look in the fridge for something that Brock needed.

"What was it you said you needed again Brock?" Ash asked, his head still searching inside the refrigerator.

"The milk, Ash. How could you forget that, it's been literally five seconds since I asked you tog get it?" Brock responded with a question of his own, to which Ash only laughed sheepishly.

Ash grabbed the milk and handed it to Brock before seeing May walking up to him. No matter how confident he was that they would get through this, Ash still felt a bit nervous as he didn't want May to feel weird around him. Especially now that he knew about how she might feel about him.

Ash had done a lot of thinking to himself not only about how he felt about May, but all of his female friends and in the end, he could only came to one conclusion...he didn't know. Love had never been a top priority for him, that spot was always pokemon, but now that he was 18, he found himself liking the thought of having someone to love...he just didn't know who.

Shaking these thoughts from his mind for the time being, he looked at May, who was now standing in front of him, eyes looking toward the floor, and her hands intertwined, clearly nervous.

Ash mentally sighed as he saw May's position. She still looked so shy and uncomfortable and he knew that was not a good sign. However, his worries were soon washed away as he watched May unlock her fingers and meet his gaze.

Ash saw an aura of confidence radiating from her beautiful blue eyes, something that he hadn't seen since they'd kissed.

He'd missed that look.

"Ash," May started. "I'm so sorry about how I've been acting. I don't know what else to say besides I'm so incredibly sorry. I know it must have hurt when you thought that I was avoiding you, but I was just so confused and embarrassed. I just want you to know that I still really want to be a part of your life and I promise that I won't be awkward around you anymore. Can you forgive me?"

Ash saw May's sad and hopeful eyes and his heart almost broke. Did she honestly think that they wouldn't still be friends after this?

At the end of her speech, May'd put her head down, having used up all of her confidence in getting out her apology. The part she'd been most nervous for had been his response after all.

Ash wanted to look into her eyes as he said what he was about to say, so he gently lifted her chin with his thumb and pointer finger, forcing her eyes to meet his once again.

"May. You have nothing to apologize for. You didn't do anything wrong. And of course you're still a part of my life. You're a _huge _part of my life. You're one of my best friends and I care about you more than you could ever know. Did you honestly think that just because you felt embarrassed and needed some time away from me to collect yourself we wouldn't still be friends? I mean come on May, you know me better than that!" Ash finished with his signature smile,.

Ash'd also made sure to be discrete about what had happened, as he didn't know what the others knew about the situation.

May's face radiated happiness, as well as a light redness as she blushed at Ash's incredibly sincere words. He was right. What was she thinking when she thought that they weren't friends? She never should've worried about ruining her relationship with Ash. If it was anyone else, then maybe she'd be justified in being worried, but not with Ash. He was just too amazing to let something like this break them apart.

And May knew that he cared about her, as well as all of his friends, more than anything in the world, he'd proven that so many times. He'd saved her life so many times that she would've lost count had every single memory she'd created with him not been permanently etched into her mind. The way he treated those he cared about was one of the things May loved the most about him. May found her love for her grow even more at this moment, something she didn;t even think was possible given how much she already loved him.

Out of pure impulse and desire, May wrapped her arms around the boy and brought him into the most emotion filled hug she had ever given.

At first, Ash didn't reciprocate. Not because he felt awkward or uncomfortable with the contact, it was quite the opposite actually, but because of his current state.

"But May, I'm all sweaty and gross!" Ash explained.

"I don't care." May mumbled into his chest as she pulled him closer to her, embracing him tightly.

Ash was surprised, not thinking that May would be so comfortable with contact so soon after the kiss they'd shared, but once he realized that she didn't care that he was sweaty, he hugged her back tightly, enjoying her scent.

May was finally happy with Ash again. If he could act normally around her after what happened, then so could she. Now she just had to figure out how to get Ash to like her as more than a friend...

May refused to let go of Ash as the hug continued to grow longer, simply too caught up in the incredible things she was feeling to release. By now, both Serena and Dawn were fuming. They thought that May was just using this hug to get closer to Ash. Though in reality, she was just lost in it.

The two girls knew they couldn't have an outburst, so they settled for a loud cough.

"Ahem." Serena cleared her throat loudly. It was obvious that it was just a ploy to get May to stop hugging Ash but at this point, Serena really didn't care.

Hearing the obnoxious cough, May snapped out of her daze and hesitantly pulled away from Ash. As they separated, their eyes locked once again and smiles graced both of their lips.

To Dawn, this was not a good sign. Now that she knew that both May and Serena were also in love with Ash, every little gesture made her jealous. The same went for Serena and the 'cutesy little smile' the two were sharing made her both nervous and angry.

Luckily for Dawn and Serena, Ash and May's locked eyes were broken up by the door opening, revealing Delia in her gardening clothes.

"Hello everyone!" She said happily. Her smile faltered slightly however when she saw the exhausted Paul and Max. Her motherly instincts kicked in as a worried expression made its way to her youthful face.

Ash noticed this look of distress and spoke before his mother would go full on 'mom mode' on Paul and Max.

"Mom! It's fine. They trained with me this morning. They're just tired and sore." Ash explained quickly, trying to get his point across as fast as possible.

"Oh...that makes sense. Okay then, honey!" Delia knew how intense Ash's training routine was, so this made complete sense to the young mother. "And by the way Ash, you might want to take a shower. There are pretty girls here, you know."

Ash, along with May, Dawn and Serena all blushed at her comment.

"Mooooom!" Ash screamed, embarrassed more than usual as he was confused about his feelings.

"Oh, you know I'm just teasing, sweetie." Delia shot a wink toward Serena, who's blush deepen. "But seriously Ash, take a shower. And take Paul and Max with you. It looks like they just got hit with a water pulse."

With that said, Delia returned to the garden.

Ash sighed. He was hungry and Brock's cooking smelled great, but he definitely needed a shower first.

"Alright, I'm going to go shower. Make sure you save some food for me. I'm looking at you May." Ash finished in mock sternness.

May giggled. "We'll see, Ketchum."

Dawn and Serena looked at each other sadly. May had definitely won this morning, at least in their books.

With Brock assuring Ash that there would be food for him when he returned, Ash started toward the upstairs bathroom. As quickly as he left the kitchen however, he returned.

"These two are going to need to bathe after me so..." Ash said whilst picking up Max and slinging him over his shoulder. He winced in pain for a short moment, as his somewhat fresh wound was still slightly sore.

He then made his way over to Paul and hefted him on his other shoulder, amazing the group. They knew Ash was strong. But this was ridiculous. Paul was no slouch. He stood about 6'1" and had to weigh at least 180 lbs, and Ash was carrying not only him, but Max as well.

Pikachu opted to follow him upstairs, hoping to get catch a nap on his trainer's bed.

Ash stood in the doorway and turned back to face his friends. "I'll be back soon."

As he turned to make his leave, he accidentally bumped Paul's head on the door frame.

"Ugghhh..." Paul grunted in pain, but didn't react in any other way due to his exhaustion.

"Hehe...sorry." Ash responded. This earned a round of hearty laughter from those still in the kitchen.

They all watched as Ash left the room, with two practically unconscious boys thrown over both of his shoulders.

After a while, the silence started to fade as brunch was served. As expected, it was absolutely delicious. They ate in what felt like, to Serena, May and Dawn, a comfortable silence. Brock and Misty however, felt a tad bit awkward.

Misty was currently contemplating whether or not she should tell Brock about what'd happened over the past couple of days, what'd been revealed. She could tell that Brock was already suspicious and knew that something was up, but she didn't know if the girls would want him to know.

It's not that she didn't trust him to keep the secret, it's just she wasn't sure if she should just keep this between the girls. But if the fight earlier was a sign as to what was to come, telling Brock might be a good idea.

Brock was also thinking deeply at the moment. He was close to convincing himself to ask as to what the fight was all about. What made the girls snap so easily? It was something so trivial, but the three were at each others throats within seconds. Were they mad at each other?

He had traveled with all three of the girls for a number of years, and they had never acted like this before.

Brock finally decided that he needed to know what was going on, and now was as good a time as any.

"Okay, what's going on?" Brock asked sternly. Misty was the only one that didn't seem confused by the question; she was almost expecting this.

Dawn and Serena looked at the older man, heads cocked. May also looked up from her plate, her mouth full of food.

"What do you mean, Brock? We're just eating what you made us. It's delicious by the way!" Serena said, trying to change the subject.

She knew full well that Brock was referring to the altercation earlier that morning and how it'd obviously stemmed from something far bigger.

"You know what I'm talking about, I can see it in your eyes." Brock stated. "I'm talking about why you were at each others throats this morning. I mean Dawn, I thought you were going to kill May! And over what? Hardly anything at all!"

Both Dawn and May found guilty looks appearing on their faces. They were doing exactly what they promised they wouldn't just the night before; they were letting their newfound rivalry come between them.

"Brock, I-I don't know what to say." May stated, looking at Brock. She then turned to face Dawn. "But I do know what to say to you. Dawn, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you or said the things I did."

"No May, I should be the one apologizing. You were just being yourself, and you barely even pushed me. I was acting like a total bitch." Dawn said, surprising May a bit with her own self deprecating words.

Serena then decided to jump in, "I'm sorry too. = I wasn't even involved in what happened but I just had to get a word in edge wise. I don't even know why I did it."

The three girls then joined into a group hug.

As this was going on, Misty had decided to explain things to Brock. She told him everything, from the kiss to how all three girls were in love with Ash.

Brock was slightly surprised, but not all that much. He had deciphered long ago that Serena had feelings for Ash, and the fact that May and Dawn did as well wasn't very shocking; he'd recognized that the two young women had feelings for Ash back when they were traveling together and had always thought that those feelings had a good chance of becoming deeper over time.

"Wow. So all three of them are in love Ash...huh... I think I see the problem." Brock whispered so that only himself and Misty could hear.

"I know. I'm really worried for them. They're all my friends and I don't want to see them get hurt." Misty responded, to which Brock nodded in understanding.

"So...it seems like you girls are in quite the situation." Brock turned his attention from Misty after he saw that Dawn, May and Serena had finished apologizing to each other and had become silent.

May scoffed, "No kidding..." She assumed that Misty had told Brock about their predicament and was more than okay with it. She knew she could trust Brock and having someone as smart as him helping them would definitely be beneficial. The other two girls felt the same way about this; if there was lone person they could trust with this information, it would be Brock.

May appeared dejected when Brock'd spoken, with Dawn and Serena looking and feeling similarly. It really was a huge problem that would more than likely end with someone getting hurt.

"What do we do, Brock? Obviously you know what's going on now, so please help us. How are we going to get through this without getting hurt?" Serena spoke, her voice quiet, almost pleading as she desperately hoped for an answer.

Brock sighed and looked at the three young ladies sitting in front of him. He saw every single one of them as a sister and would help anyway he could. He cared for them, he loved them like his own family, and he wanted nothing more than to be happy.

"Okay, so you're all in love with Ash.." Brock trailed off, but was planning on continuing to speak until he was cut off by the four others in the room.

"Shhhh! Do you want Ash to hear you!?" Dawn exclaimed in a half whisper, looking back to make sure Ash hadn't reappeared.

Seeing the series of glares he was receiving, Brock but his hands up in defense.

"Geez, I wasn't even talking that loud. Sorry... Anyway, you all having feelings for 'you know who' is definitely a problem." Brock said, finding no other way to say this.

"We just need to know how to get out of this situation with all of us being happy in the end." Dawn spoke, almost pleadingly.

Brock sighed once again, deeply saddened by the fact that he knew he didn't have the answer they wanted to hear. "I hate to say this Dawn but...that's probably not going to happen."

May, Dawn, Serena all visibly saddened when they heard this. They knew that this was the truth, but hearing it said out loud just made the thought of it seem so...real.

"With the situation that you're in, someone is bound to get hurt. It's almost inevitable. You have to be very careful with how you go about this. If you want your friendships with each other, including Ash, to withstand this, then no matter what the outcome, you have to tread very carefully." Brock finished, giving the only advice he could think of at the moment.

"I still can't believe that you two love Ash also. When I realized my feelings, I was so happy and excited but now...I'm terrified." May said, looking towards the bluenette and blonde.

It looked as if Serena was about to respond, but she was prevented from speaking when someone cleared their throat.

Hearing this, everyone looked toward the kitchen door and saw Delia, who was grinning madly.

"How...How much did you hear?" May asked. Though, giving the look on her face, she thought she already knew the answer.

"More than enough." Delia responded. "I can't believe that all three of you have feelings for my Ash!"

"Yeah, neither can we." Serena said sadly.

Delia looked at Serena with concern and sadness. She had confided in her about her feelings for Ash and now, it wasn't just her out for Ash's heart.

"Oh boy, this is a problem, isn't it?" Delia asked rhetorically.

Receiving a series of head nods, Delia smiled at the three girls sadly.

"Well despite everything, I'm so glad that my Ash has the love of three amazing, beautiful girls." Delia always was one to look for the best in a situation.

"What did you say, mom? Something about love?" A familiar voice said, coming from were the kitchen and the living room met.

Upon hearing this, everybody's hearts sunk. Well, everybody's except for Delia's.

While the faces of Dawn, May, Serena, Misty and Brock were covered with horror, Delia's smile never left her face.

"Oh nothing, dear. I was just saying how much I love you!" Delia said to her son.

She knew how sensitive the recently revealed topic was to the three girls in front of her, so lying to Ash, sadly, was the only option. She thanked Arceus that she was always a quick thinker.

"Mom..." Ash trailed off sheepishly, completely buying the lie. Because it seemed that Ash hadn't discovered their feelings. Dawn, Serena and May internally sighed in relief at this revelation.

May was however, questioning why she was still worried about Ash finding out about her feelings. Even if he was still slightly dense, there was no way that after the kiss she'd given him that he could think that she didn't have feelings for him.

Little did she know that her feelings were the only thing on Ash's mind when he took his shower. After the kiss and what Misty had told him, he was trying to figure out his feelings towards the brunette.

She was beautiful, there was no denying that and she had always been there for him, but the same could be said about both Dawn and Serena as well. He absolutely loved spending time with her but again, the same could be said of the others.

At one point, while the hot water ran down his body, his mind shifted to the bluenette coordinator and the honey blonde haired performer. Again, he began thinking back to what Misty had said, and he was very much wondering what feelings those two held for him. He knew he should face his confusion and try to find an answer, but this challenge was simply to great for him at the moment so he shook his thoughts away, at least for the time being. That being said, he knew that this was something that he couldn't avoid forever and he'd have to address soon.

Now Ash stood, slightly embarrassed due to his mom's words, in the kitchen along with his friends.

"By the way everyone, Paul and Max are taking a nap. They should be fine in about an hour. Definitely sore, but fine none the less." Ash reassured the group.

Now that the worry had passed, everyone had welcomed Ash and Brock made his best friend a large plate of food.

Seeing the literal mound of food being placed in front of him, Ash's eyes grew wide and his mouth began to water.

"Brock my friend, you know me too well." Ash said just before digging into the large plate. Brock smiled happily as he watched his friend eat. He was always happy to do something nice for a friend, even if it was something as simple as making food for them.

No matter how long they had been around him, the pace at which Ash ate still amazed everyone, well, everyone except for May. But that was only because she was the only other person that could rival Ash's eating habits.

In seemingly no time at all, the giant mound of food was gone and Ash was sitting back in his chair, looking satisfied.

"You out did yourself again, Brocko. Another excellent meal." Ash paid his compliments to the chef, to which Brock bowed, pretending to be fancy.

"So Ash, what are we going to do today?" Dawn questioned the raven haired trainer.

"Well, I need to go talk to Professor Oak about something before we do anything else. But other then that, I don't really have anything planned. I'm up for anything, I guess." Ash responded, earning a curious glance from Serena.

"What is it you have to talk to Professor Oak about Ash?" Serena inquired.

Ash smiled cryptically in response. "You'll just have to wait and find out. Let's just say I have a theory as to why Heal Pulse worked on me."

This gained a few surprised looks from throughout the room, even Delia. However, they knew they wouldn't get a real answer out of Ash until he spoke with Professor Oak.

"He said to meet him in about an hour because he is working on something at the moment, so we have some time to kill." Ash mentioned.

"Why don't we just watch some TV or something while we wait. I really don't have any other ideas of something we could do that would only take an hour." Misty suggested. She got a series of head nods and shrugs in response.

One by one, each person made their way from the kitchen to the living room. Misty was about to follow her friends until she was halted by Delia grabbing her by the shoulder.

Misty turned around to face the older woman; obviously she wanted to say something to her.

"Misty, you need to tell Ash about their feelings." Delia started gesturing to the still visible Dawn, Serena and May. Misty looked at the mother with shock and uncertainty covering her face.

Seeing this, Delia continued, "I know that they are probably too scared at the moment to tell him themselves at the moment, but he needs to know. If he doesn't, then there is a good chance that Ash will inadvertently hurt one, if not all of them. He needs an idea of what is going on around him if everyone is going to make it out of this still friends with one another. My Ash is a great man, but I'm afraid his lack of experience in this department might end up hurting everyone involved. And I know if any relationships are broken up because of the girls' feelings for him, then Ash will never forgive himself. And of course, I don't want to see the girls hurt either."

Now that she had explained, Misty seemed a little more keen to the idea. She knew how Ash was, and Delia was 100 percent correct with her assumption. Ash was truly amazing in a lot of ways, but he was definitely not known for his expertise in the land of romance. It might not help much, but giving Ash this information would certainly give him more time to think about what to do. Deciding it would be for the best, Misty nodded in agreement.

Delia smiled, "Good, thank you, Misty. Now go on and join your friends."

Misty nodded before doing as she was told and made her way to the living room. As she entered, she noticed everyone sat at various positions around the room.

Not surprisingly, Dawn, May and Serena were quietly arguing over who would sit next to Ash on the couch. Misty sighed and decided to make the choice easy for them.

Misty took the seat next to Ash on the two-person couch, much to the three girls' displeasure. They knew why she did what she did however, so they simply bit their tongues and took their seats at other positions in the room.

Ash was currently in control of the remote and was flipping thorough the channels, looking for something they could all agree to watch.

Sometime during this, both Paul and Max had made their way downstairs, much to everyone's surprise. Pikachu followed not far behind, being totally rejuvenated by his nap as he leaped onto his trainers lap.

"I thought you two were taking a nap after Ash almost killed you." May said with a chuckle, still finding it funny how exhausted they were after doing something Ash did everyday.

May was also incredibly impressed that Ash was able to do this type of training daily without being like Paul and Max afterward. The thought of Ash working out so intensely, a well as the body he'd developed because of doing so, had made May's entire body heat up a couple of times since they'd returned.

Max, who usually would always have a retort for his sister's teasing, decided it would be best for him not to cause a fight at the moment. He was way too tired to even try to resist should she get mad at him.

"I know this probably doesn't sound like it makes any sense, but we're too tired to sleep." Paul said somewhat groggily.

"I know what you mean, actually. Sometimes being over tired leaves you just as much energy as if you got a good nights sleep. At least, for a while." Ash said, rationalizing Paul's words.

"I'm sure we'll crash later, though. Probably during something important knowing my luck. " Max added, earning a laugh from the room.

As the two took their seats to join the others, Ash returned to flipping through the channels.

"So, what do you guys want to watch?" Ash questioned the group. All he got in response was a series of shrugs, so he opted to just keep flipping through the channels until someone stopped him.

He continued channel surfing until after a few moments, Brock stopped him when something caught his eye.

"Wait! Ash go back two channels. I think I saw something." Brock said quickly, to which Ash complied.

The channel Brock had requested turned out to be the Kanto News.

"Brock, why do you want to watch the new-" Ash was cut off by Brock.

"Just watch." Brock said sternly. It wasn't often Brock sounded this aggressive, so Ash complied.

Ash looked at the TV and saw a pretty news anchor speaking, but what really caught his eye was the insignia in the top corner of the screen.

Prevalent on the television screen was the emblem of Team Rocket, and under the picture read 'Rockets Running Rampant.' This caught everyone's attention as they began to watch more intently.

"Team Rocket, a well known group of pokemon thieves, have amped up their crimes. We have gotten confirmation of 12 murders within the past three days that have been linked to the organization." The news anchor finished emotionlessly, ding her job to not letting the troubling news effect her.

Everyone's jaw dropped upon hearing this. They had thought that Jessie's murder attempt may have just been a rogue rocket taking the mission into her own hands, but this proved what was in the back of everyone's minds. Team Rocket was changing, evolving into something even more terrifying than they were before.

Suddenly, the group of friends watched as the newscaster put one hand to her hear, clearly being relayed a message from the higher ups at the news studio. Even before she spoke, everyone knew that it was something bad...

"Hold on... We are just getting word that the Silph Co. Building in Saffron City is currently experiencing a hostile takeover by the hands of Team Rocket. This is the second time in the building's history, but who will be there to stop it this time? Police are just now arriving on the scene, but they fear that they might be too late. The first floor is littered with deceased workers and there's a immense fear that the rest of the floors will be the same. The police have informed us that the risk of storming the building to arrest the Rocket is too great, even for the police, as the criminal organization is not afraid to kill. More news will be reported as it comes in." The anchor finished, letting a bit of unprofessional emotion seep into her voice at the horrific news.

The whole room was deathly silent. Delia, who had been walking through the living room to go upstairs, had stopped to witness the news cast. There was no doubt that the workers inside of the Silph Co building were most likely dead or taken hostage. Where as most everyone was terrified by what they had just heard, Ash was feeling that along with absolute fury.

"They can't get away with this..." Ash said quietly through gritted teeth. "Those sons of bitches will not get away with this!" Ash's voice went from nearly silent, to deafeningly loud.

"We have to do something!" Ash continued screaming, now looking at his friends, most of whom had their heads down as tears filled their eyes.

The only person on the same page as Ash at the moment was Paul.

"Those people were innocent, they had families... I'm with you Ash! We can't let them get away with this!" Paul agreed loudly.

Seeing the burning determination in her son's eyes, Delia became increasingly worried.

"Ash, NO! I can't let you go out there and risk your life for this! Team Rocket already almost took you away from me, and I won't let that happen again! You are going nowhere!" Delia finished, with a voice filled with both concern and seriousness. She meant business.

"Mom! If we don't do anything, then who will?! I've beaten them before, I can do it again!" Ash tried to explain to his mother, who would have nothing of it.

"You heard me, young man! I am your mother and no matter how old you get, you still have to listen to me!" Delia screamed as tears entered her eyes.

"Grraahh!" Ash let out a scream if frustration as he made his way toward the front door. "I'm going to go talk to the professor." Ash spoke bitterly as he walked through the door, Pikachu following close behind, feeling the same emotions as his trainer.

"Ash, wait!" Serena screamed as herself, Dawn, May, Max and Paul followed behind.

Delia was worried that her son was lying and was actually going to try and stop Team Rocket, but she trusted her son and that caused her not to chase after him. He was definitely reckless, but he would never lie to his mother.

"Don't worry Delia, we'll make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Misty said as her and Brock began running after their friend, leaving behind an emotional Delia.

Everyone had caught up to Ash about 3/4ths of the way to Oak's lab. It was easy to tell that Ash was still fuming as he was stomping aggressively toward the lab.

"Ash, you need to calm down." Brock tried to reason with the boy.

He didn't respond until they were right outside Oak's lab.

"Calm down? Calm Down!? How can I calm down when innocent people have just been slaughtered for no reason!?" Ash exclaimed. It was slightly difficult to see, but it looked as if a blue light was faintly surrounding his body.

"Ash, think this through. You were already almost killed by Team Rocket and if you just run in blindly to try and help...you _will_ die." Misty said seriously, scaring every person currently present, even herself.

Ash started breathing heavily as he processed Misty's words. He knew she was right and that he was being irrational, but it was impossible due to his helpful nature not to want to help those in need, no matter what the cost.

He took a few deep breaths and eventually calmed himself. Paul had done the same thing, also registering Misty's words.

Ash sighed, "You're right, Misty, I'm sorry for acting so crazy, I just can't believe what Team Rocket is doing. I always thought they were just petty thieves, but now...they're killers."

"I know you want to help, but we have to protect ourselves first. We don't know what Team Rocket will do or where they will be." Brock added.

Now, Serena, Dawn, May and Max were still noticeably scared, which didn't go unnoticed by Ash. He also knew that the others were afraid, they were just better at hiding it. He needed to address them, to make sure they know that he will protect them, no matter what.

"Everyone, I promise that as long as I'm here, nothing bad will happen to any of you. You have my word. I will do whatever it takes to make sure that you all stay safe." Ash said reassuringly. The amount of conviction and truthfulness in his words settled everyone and made them feel very safe.

Dawn was the first to rush to Ash and give him a hug, but she was quickly followed by May, Serena and Max.

"Thank you, Ash." Dawn mumbled into his shirt. He tried to hug back as best he could, but hugging four people at once was proving to be a challenge.

Eventually the four broke off and freed Ash. The raven haired trainer then proceeded to open the currently unlocked doors that would lead them to Professor Oak. He held the door open for everyone to enter before him, to which they all happily complied.

This left Misty and Ash at the back of the pack. Thoughts of what Delia had told her less than a half hour ago were floating through her mind. She was contemplating if she should tell him now, or later. There was even still that one shred of doubt in her mind telling her that she shouldn't tell him at all, but she knew that wasn't right. Even though this seemed like a very poor time for this, she wanted to get it over with quickly.

The two had entered the building, but Misty pulled Ash behind a large bookshelf, making sure the others were far enough away so that they wouldn't hear them. This gave Misty the opportunity she needed.

"Hey, Ash?" Misty said as a question, keeping her voice low.

"What's up, Mist?" Ash asked in response, staying quiet as well as to match his friend's tone.

"There's something you need to know." Misty glanced over at the raven haired trainer to make sure that he was listening. Seeing that he was, she continued, "Listen, I really didn't want to be the one to tell you this, but some recent revelations have told me that it is necessary that I do."

Ash appeared confused by what Misty, but was now very curious. He had no idea what this 'revelation' was that she was talking about.

Misty sighed before beginning again, "I was talking to Dawn, May and Serena the other day, trying to help May get over what happened and...well, it turns out that May is in love with you."

Ash's eyes bulged in shock as he looked make sure that no one else could hear their conversation. Seeing that they hadn't, he pulled Misty behind a book case so they could continued their conversation.

"Are you serious?! Love, as in. Love Love" Ash asked, clearly shocked at how deep the brunette's feelings ran.

"Yes Ash. She loves you. _A lot. A_s in more than anything in the world_. _But that's not all. It turns out that...Dawn and Serena are deeply in love with you as well." Misty was feeling oddly timid as she spoke. It almost felt as if she was confessing her own feelings for some reason.

By this point, Ash's eyes couldn't have been any wider, his mouth also agape. Misty saw him go pale and she became slightly afraid that he might faint. Luckily for them both, he didn't. Instead, one word escaped his mouth.

"Why?" Ash asked almost inaudibly. Misty wasn't sure if he was asking why they loved him or why she was the one telling him this. She decided to respond to the latter.

"I'm telling you this because you need to be careful about this. Three different people, three of your closest friends, are deeply in love with you and if you're not careful, then someone is going to get hurt." Misty paused for a moment, trying to make Ash see just how serious he needed to take this whole situation. Seeing a flash of fear cross his face when she mentioned hurting any of the three women, three people with whom he was closest with, Misty knew that she'd succeeded in that regard. She then continued on. "The reason I told you is so you make sure to be careful about how to go about this. By not knowing how they felt, you would have been playing blind. Now that you know, you have a slight advantage and have a better chance a being able to get out of this with everyone being okay."

Ash didn't respond. He was too lost in his thoughts to speak. How could three girls all love him? What was he going to do? How did he feel? These were all questions that Ash did not have the answer to.

__"Things just got about a million times more complicated..."__Ash thought to himself as he pondered over what Misty had said. _"I just can't believe it. They're all in love with me..."_

Even if he was confused, he was glad that he knew. Knowing would allow him to be careful about how he went about handling this situation. He decided he would think about this long and hard later on. As for right now, he had business to attend to with Professor Oak.

Ash nodded his head Misty's way just as they heard Brock calling for them. They appeared from behind the bookshelf and ran to catch up with group. Ash tried his best to push all of these thoughts out of his head for the time being so that he could focus on the task at hand. That being said, he had a lot to think about later on.

Apparently, the group had been waiting at the door to the professor's private study until Ash and Misty caught up. Taking initiative, Ash walked up to the door and knocked.

Footsteps could be heard from the other side of the door and a few moments later, the door opened revealing the professor in all his glory.

"Hey Professor Oak!" Ash said cheerfully. Despite everything that was going on in his head at the moment, he managed a smile. Even with him trying to focus on other things, it was hard to keep all of these new thoughts out of his head for long.

"Ash, my boy. You're early. We aren't supposed to be meeting for another 30 minutes or so." Oak spoke, glancing at his watch.

"Sorry, professor, but something came up and I just had to rush over here and talk to you." Ash responded apologetically, hoping that he hadn't interrupted his work.

"It's no problem, Ash, I finished my work much earlier than expected so come on in, all of you!" Professor Oak said happily. The professor stepped aside, allowing the group to enter his study.

"So Ash, what is it that you wanted to talk about? From the way you told me that you needed to tell me something, it seems it's quite important." Oak questioned.

Ash was currently leaning on professor Oak's desk and playing around with a stress ball that'd been sitting on said surface. "Before we get to that, did you happen to hear the news about Team Rocket?"

The professor's face visibly saddened as the topic was brought up. "Sadly yes, I did. I was listening to the radio while I was working when the report came in. I truly can't believe it. I guess that means that the incident with you and that Jessie girl who tried to kill you wasn't just a one off thing. It seems that this is now what all Team Rocket members are like, a scary thought indeed. I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't a little worried about it."

"Yeah, me too, professor. I can't believe they would stoop so low, to kill innocent people in cold blood." Ash's voice held disbelief and sadness, but also a hint of anger. That being said, he didn't let it overtake him in the slightest this time around. Ash then changed the subject to what he'd originally came here to talk about. "But anyway, that's not what I came here to talk to you about. I came here to tell you that I have theory as to why Lucario's Heal Pulse worked on me and didn't kill me like the rest."

Everyone else in the room was listening intently to the conversation between the two. They had wanted to know why Ash survived the pokemon move ever since it happened. And because of how cryptic Ash was being before they'd came to the lab, they were even more curious as to what he had to say.

Oak's eyes widened, "Really? That's great! That's actually what I was working on in here. I am still trying to figure out why it worked on you and no one else. I've been trying to find a theory ever since the incident occurred, but I can't think of anything!"

"Well, let me tell you my theory and let me know what you think." Ash said. Seeing Oak's approving nod, he continued. "Professor, everyone, do you remember when I told you all about my journey to the Tree of Beginning? May, Brock, Max, I'm sure none of you have forgotten"

Ash received a series of head nods from around the room as well as knowing smiles from Brock, Max and May, recalling the extremely memorable journey they'd had in the kingdom of Rota.

"Just as a refresher, with some help from a particular Lucario, I came to learn that I posses a very strong aura. An aura that very closely resembles that of the legendary Sir Aaron himself." Ash checked to make sure that everyone was following along. The look on the Professors face told him that he knew where he was going with this, that he'd begun putting the pieces together himself. "My theory as to why I survived is because of my aura. I have done almost no training to hone it, but it's still very strong within me and I think that, along with me and Lucario's strong bond, is why I was able to survive." Ash finished, laying everything out there.

"Of course! You have an aura like no one alive today! That has to be it!" Professor Oak exclaimed as he began to frantically write things down.

"It also explains why your eyes were blue when you woke up." Max added, happy to show off his knowledge of anything and everything.

"Wow Ash, I almost forgot about your aura. Good work!" Misty commended the man for using his head, who grinned in response.

"Thanks everyone. I know, I know, I'm awes-" Ash was cut of by a loud noise.

The boom resounded throughout the entire town of Pallet, seemingly shaking the building slightly. Immediately, the group tensed up and wondered what'd just happened

"What was that?" Serena asked. She was confused and curious as to what'd occurred, but there was also a bit of worry growing inside of her.

"Professor, is there any construction going on in or around Pallet right now?" Ash questioned the knowledgable man.

"Not my knowledge. I have no idea what that could have been." Oak responded. Just then, another boom sounded, just as loud as the previous one, startling everyone in the lab.

"Let's go check it out!" Paul said, leading the pack toward the exit. Everyone, including the professor, followed.

Once outside, they saw a large cloud of smoke about a half mile away from their position. Seeing the direction it was coming from, Ash's heart dropped and his eyes widened. Without saying a word to anyone, Ash took off sprinting towards the scene.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu yelled as he ran after his best friend, catching up to him quickly and running alongside.

"Ash, Pikachu, wait!" Serena screamed, but it was in vein. Ash was either out of hearing distance or he wouldn't stop, probably both.

The beautiful blonde started running after him, followed closely by Paul, Brock, Dawn, May and Max. That left Misty and professor Oak still standing in front of the lab. Oak had a horrified look plastered on his face.

Misty grunted in annoyance. "Come on professor, we need to go see what's going on." Oak nodded in agreement as the two took off running.

Misty was surprised by Oak's endurance. Even at his old age, he was keeping pace with Misty and wasn't breathing all that heavily.

"Professor, why do you think Ash ran off like that?" Misty asked, even though she had an idea as to why. She thought Ash was just being himself and was rushing to help anyone in need.

Increasing his speed, Oak responded with urgency. "Misty... The smoke is coming from the direction of Ash's house. I don't even want to think about what that could mean. All I know is that we have to get there as fast as possible.."

Misty was shocked. Her heart sunk and her eyes widened, already beginning to water as she feared the worst. How could she have not realized it? Holding back tears, she increased her pace as well as the two continued running.

Misty and Oak arrived not long after the rest of the group did. The both looked around to see where they were. This only confirmed their worst fear.

This was Ash's house.

Well, what was left of it.

The scene was horrifying. What used to be the Ash and Delia's home was now nothing more than a massive pile of black char. There were a multitude of small fires burning in the rubble, but that was it. There was truly nothing left.

The moment Ash arrived at the scene, tears welled up in his eyes and he dropped to his knees, his ability to stand being stolen by his emotions. It was clear to see that he was going into shock as he started shivering, his facial expression never changing from one of seriousness and shock even as tears fell down his face.

Pikachu'd seated himself next to his trainer, in a very similar state as him.

The first group of people had arrived soon after. Immediately, they took in what was once the Ketchum residence, everyone becoming shock and horrified by what they saw. But as awful as they were feeling, they couldn't even imagine what Ash must be going through. It was only seconds before everyone sent worrying and concerning gazes straight to Ash.

Brock ran up to Ash, who he saw was shaking, so he could get a closer look at him. Even though he was feeling terrified inside, he had to stay calm to help everyone through this.

"Guys, he's in shock. He needs to be kept warm." Brock stated urgently, ignoring the burning pile of rubble that stood before him for the moment.

Brock's words broke everyone out of their shocked states just as Misty and Professor Oak arrived. Hearing Ash's need for warmth, Dawn rushed to him and wrapped him in a close embrace.

This was not for pleasure however, Dawn was honestly doing the first thing she could think of to keep the boy warm. May and Serena saw this, but knew that their stupid rivalry could wait for the moment.

Paul offered up his light jacket to Dawn who happily accepted it and wrapped it around Ash.

Why had this happened? What'd caused this? Did a _person _do this? These were all questions that were running through Ash's, along with everyone else's, minds at the moment.

Brock, being one of the few, along with Paul and Oak, keeping a level head, looked around for any sort of clue for what might have happened.

Ash was brought out of his shaken mental state for a moment when he saw something move slightly under the rubble close to him.

He shook Dawn off of him and rushed over to who or what ever was under the rubble. He began clearing it, trying to help whatever it was that was there. Once all of the ruble was moved, Ash gasped as he saw a gravely injured Mr. Mime.

"Mimey!' Ash exclaimed as tears continued to rush out of his eyes. The pokemon was covered in soot and had a large gash across its chest. He was bleeding heavily.

Ash brought Mr. Mime into his arms as the life began to drain out of his body. "Mimey! Come on, stay with me. You're going to be fine. We just gotta get you to a pokemon center!"

As Ash finished his last sentence, the mime pokemon closed his eyes for the last time.

"Mimey? Mimey come on wake up! Fight it! Come on! Please!" Ash screamed at the deceased pokemon as tears poured from his eyes.

All of his friends watched on as tears of their own cascaded down their faces. Seeing the usually strong Ash break down like this was killing them inside. Plus, seeing the death of the mime pokemon hit them all hard, Brock especially

Brock managed to tear his eyes away from Ash as the raven haired trainer dropped to his knees once again, Mr. Mime still lying lifeless in his arms. He once again started searching for anything that could possibly help him figure out what happened. He didn't have to look for long however as just a few moments into his search, he spotted a perfectly white piece of paper sitting atop a tall pile of rubble.

He reached out and grabbed the paper as his heart sank into his stomach. He knew there was no way this paper would've stayed so white if it had been in the house when the explosion occurred. That meant that someone had to have placed it there afterwards. Confirming the fear that a person had done this.

Before opening what he assumed to be a note, he walked back to the group if his emotional friends and companions.

"Guys, I-I found something." Brock spoke solemnly, gathering everyone's attention, even if they weren't all looking at him. Ash couldn't take his eyes off of the pokemon in his arms nor the rubble that was once his home. May, Dawn and Serena were trapped staring at Ash, desperate to help him but not knowing how. All of them listened in.

Brock carefully opened the folded paper to find words written inside. He sighed before he began reading them aloud.

"To my dear friend Ash Ketchum,

"I'm sure you're wondering what happened here. Well, the short answer is that I blew up your house. And now, I bet you're wondering why I did this? Well, I can answer that for you. You have been a thorn in our side for far too long, Mr. Ketchum and we now have every intention of eliminating you. As I'm sure you remember, we've already made one attempt at your life. I bet you weren't expecting Jessie, someone you thought you were familiar with, would try to kill you. But obviously, that mission has failed. You're resilient, Ketchum. Strong. We'd be naive to think otherwise. Just sending an agent out obviously won't work, so we decided to take another route. I was feeling ind of bored so I thought to myself, 'why not have some fun with this', right? I thought it was a great idea! We decided it would just be a ball to make you come to us. You running to your own death, there's something almost... poetic about that, don't you think? Oh, and don't worry about your mother, we made sure to get her out of there before we blew your house to hell. I assure you, she's not dead. She's alive and well, with us, the wonderful men and women of the most infamous criminal organization of all time. Well...she is alive, at least. I'm not actually so sure about the 'well' part. She's our prisoner now, Ketchum. We needed something, or in this case, someone, that would make you come after us, that would make you willingly walk right into your own demise, and who better to do that with than your own mother! You're way too protective of people, you know that? It may be noble, but it also makes you weak. And weaknesses are meant to be exploited. That's why we know you will come for her. Why don't we make this even more fun, shall we? We're not going to tell you where we are! So good luck finding us, and just know, the longer it takes, the worse off your precious mother will be. The hunt is on.

Good luck.

Your Friends at Team Rocket,

Giovanni and Ghetsis."

Brock finished reading the letter aloud and looked to gauge everyone's reactions; he himself felt sick to his stomach after reading this.. Most everyone was slack jawed, unable to believe that this was actually happening. How could anyone do this? How could someone be so cold to just toy around with someone's life? Everyone, even Professor Oak and Paul, shed more than a few tears as the letter was being read.

"...What do we do?" May asked between cries.

No one responded verbally to the brunette, but one person did act.

Ash'd placed Mimey gently on the ground and stood to his feet, his expression steeling, even despite the fact that his emotions were still all over the place. Though, one was much more prevalent than the others at the moment.

Anger.

Ash wiped the tears from his eyes, keeping his back to his friends. Though, he could feel all of their stares on him. Knowing that they he had their attention, he spoke...

"Exactly what they want me to..."


	8. A Plan and Going Primal

****A/N: Hey guys! Here's another chapter for "A Trial of Will." Sorry if last chapter seemed a little rushed, because it was. Anyways, this story is beginning to take a turn for the serious and will be bumped up to M soon. Also, don't forget to vote in the poll on my profile if you haven't already, the results will heavily influence the story. Enjoy Chapter 8.****

****Oh, but first, I probably should have said this earlier but, I do not own Pokemon.****

****P.S. Just a note for future chapters. I use phrases like "Oh my Arceus" when someone is surprised because it is the pokemon universe after all. But in heated discussions or screaming matches, I will use the word "goddamn" simply because saying "Arceusdamn" tends to take away the seriousness behind the phrase.****

__"The thing about a hero, is even when it doesn't look like there's a light at the end of the tunnel, he's going to keep digging, he's going to keep trying to do right and make up for what's gone before, just because that's who he is."__

__-Joss Whedon__

* * *

A Trial of Will

"...Exactly what they want me to..."

Ash's response was simple, to the point, but for the people huddled around the raven haired man, they simply couldn't…wouldn't, understand.

Ash spoke so darkly that it halted everyone's tears and sent shivers down their spines.

"Ash,...what are you talking about?" Dawn spoke hesitantly. Seeing her best friend in this state had her shaken.

Ash finally turned to face his friends and cocked his head in what could have been non-genuine or genuine confusion, the hard expression never leaving his face.

"I'm getting my mom back." Ash spoke with a forcefulness that surprised even himself.

Things seemed to click for everyone at once. Ash thought he'd made his intentions clear enough, but seeing the looks of both realization and horror just now cross his friends' faces made him think otherwise.

"Ash, y-you can't do that!" Serena yelled. Like the others, what Ash was planning on doing had just been processed by her mind.

"Giovanni said he's going to kill you! He t_old _you that!" May added, just as loudly as Serena. Somehow hoping the higher volume would get the point across to Ash more effectively.

Ash's face contorted into a look of both shock and hurt as he saw everyone trying to tell him that he couldn't do this. Out of everyone in the world, Ash thought these were the people that would support him the most, no matter what. And yet here they were, basically telling him to leave his mother to die in the hands of some of the most sinister people in the world. Nothing going through Ash's mind was quite rational, but he didn't care or even notice. He had one focus, and that was saving his mother's life.

Ash couldn't even stand to look at his friends at the moment, so he turned his gaze to the heavily overcast sky. It looked as if it was about to rain, as evident by the lack of sunlight and dark clouds that appeared ready to burst. He couldn't help but let out a dark scoff at this.

__"Sure does fit the mood…" __He thought to himself.

After a moment, he allowed his gaze returned to his friends.

Ash's eyes narrowed in frustration and anger; his voice completely losing the warmth and comfort it typically held, "So you're saying that I should just forget about my mother then? That I should leave her to die in the hands of the two most evil people the world has ever seen?! No...that is not going to happen."

The group had to admit that his reasoning was hard to argue, but that didn't stop them from wanting Ash to actually think things through before he acted.

Serena was about to dispute with the man, but lost her voice and shrank back in fear when she looked into his eyes. They didn't look like they usually did. At the moment, they didn't hold the warmth, the compassion, the desire that they normally did. At the moment, they were so cold, so full of malice...

so full of hatred.

"Ash, you need to think things through! Be reasonable!" Brock tried to reason, putting his hands up in defense as he spoke.

He saw what was going on in the young man's mind and he didn't want Ash to lose his cool; he was barely holding on as it was. Ash's emotions were going haywire and he knew that was the reason why he was acting this way.

Paul, showing no hint of fear, walked up to the trainer, placing them face to face before speaking, "You need to _think_, Ash! If you don't, then you are going to _d___ie___! _You can't be such an idiot at a time like this! Stop being so goddamn rash all the time and let-."

In an instant, Paul was on the ground, courtesy of a solid punch to the face delivered by Ash. The raven haired boy was huffing heavy breaths as he shook the pain from his fist and watched Paul writhe for a moment on the ground.

If this was the old Paul, he would have gotten up and hit Ash right back, no matter the circumstances. But he wasn't like that anymore, so he stayed down, knowing he'd come on too strongly in a time of great emotional duress.

The others looked on in a mixture of fear and pity. Watching the hatred grow in Ash's eyes before he hit his good friend was terrifying. Ash had lost control, and everyone knew it.

"Don't you dare tell me what I should or shouldn't do. You call me an idiot? HA! How am I the idiot when I seem to be the only one still thinking straight! A little strange since it was __my__mother that was kidnapped, that it's _me_ that they want dead! After everything that woman has done for me, I would die a million times over for her." Ash didn't pick one person out specifically from the group to scream at. Instead, his eyes scanned over each person as he yelled. Though although his voice was angry, it was also very clearly filled with an incredibly deep sadness that made everyone feel an immense amount of sympathy for the man.

After he'd ranted, Ash took a few moments to catch his breath. He looked down at the ground as he did so. Once he got his breathing under control, he lifted his head once again. Though this time, his expression was vastly different than before. Instead, all that was visible on Ash's face was hurt and depression

"Why can't you guys forget about all the reasons it won't work and focus on the reason it will...?" Ash managed out feebly, his voice breaking slightly near the end. He then lowered his head once again.

Ash took a long pause, no one daring to speak for the moment. If something were to be said that Ash didn't like, it could break him to the point of no return...if he wasn't there already.

The angry didn't return to the raven haired man's face. He still appeared to be hurt, betrayed,as made clearly by the streams of tears cascading down his cheeks. "I thought you guys were my friends..."

That one hurt.

Bad.

Seeing the four girls, along with Max, start to cry at his words made Ash feel a hint of remorse, but that didn't change the fact that he'd meant what he'd said. What kind of friends were they if they didn't support his decision to save his own mother? He couldn't understand their side at the moment, not when his mind was the jumbled mess it was now.

Brock, seeing the girls' tear-stained faces, as well as Paul and Professor Oak's lowered heads, was enough to push him over the edge. He'd had enough. This wasn't Ash, and everyone knew it.

Without hesitation, he walked with purpose towards Ash, who was currently looking downward, letting his tears soak the dirt and soot beneath his shoes. When a pair of feet entered his line of sight, Ash looked up to see Brock staring at him intensely. He couldn't have predicted what would happened next.

Brock reared back and slapped Ash across the face, causing the boy to flinch in both pain and surprise. Paul watched on in worry, not wanting Brock to suffer the same fate as he did.

"Don't you ever say something as stupid and imbecilic as that again! Not your friends, pfft, what a load of bullshit! You know as well as I do that we're right! By going after your mother alone, you might as well be signing your own death warrant..." Brock had finished with more sternness in his voice than anyone had ever heard from him before.

Ash's currently irrational mind was screaming at him to respond, but his mouth wouldn't move; the slap had shocked him to the point of silence. Never had he seen Brock act so forcefully. All he could do was stare at his older friend.

Ash met Brock's steely gaze, the man of stone not giving an inch. Ash was trying his best to look confident, but that slap had really shaken his composure. He felt the heavy emotions in his heart become even heavier with each passing second.

After a few moments, Brock broke off the harsh look and sighed, "...But, I know it has to be done."

"Brock! What are you doing!?" Dawn cried, unable to believe what Brock'd just said.

The chances of Ash losing his life by going after his mother were extremely high, and the young bluenette wasn't sure if she could live in a world without him...

or is she would even want to...

The others, save for Oak and Paul, who seemed to side with Brock, were feeling exactly how Dawn was about the situation. They wanted Delia back as much as anyone, but Ash would almost certainly die if he tried to save her; it's exactly what Team Rocket wanted.

Ash's eyes went wide when Brock said what he did. After the initial reaction he received, he hadn't expected anyone to be on his side.

His brother in all but blood had just proved him wrong.

"If it was someone I loved, I'd be thinking and acting the same way you are right now." Brock added, seeing the shock and surprise on Ash's face. "I can't even imagine everything you're feeling and I know you're not mad at us, but at Team Rocket. With everything that's going on, I'd expect you to act a bit irrationally. Just know, we only want the best for you. But like I said, I understand why you have to do this."

Ash stared at Brock for a few moments longer before he looked to his other friends, hoping to garner their approval as well. Brock'd turned to face the others as well.

It looked as if Brock was about to speak again when he was interrupted.

"No, Ash! You can't do this!" May tried to get through to the boy, even though in her heart, she knew there would be no changing his mind and as much as she hated to admit it, she couldn't blame him. If she was in his position, she had no idea what she would do.

Ash had calmed down immensely once Brock had said what he did to him. After hearing that someone actually took his side, to an extent, he relaxed about as much as anyone in his current situation could.

He walked calmly over to the shaken group of girls and his other friends, such as his youngest friend Max before speaking, "I want you all to listen to me, and listen closely. I promise that I will come back, alive and well, with my mom by my side, and Team Rocket gone forever... I just need you all to trust me."

The tear-filled eyes of his friends met his with hesitancy. Max was the first to overcome his emotions enough to speak.

Ash was his idol in practically everything. From pokemon to simply how he lived his life, Ash was everything Max aspired to be. And having been shaped by his older brother figure, he perfectly understood Ash's mindset, even if he hated it.

"Do what you gotta do, Ash. I'll support you all the way." Max said, trying to sound chipper, but failing miserably. His mind was trying to force his mouth shut, but his heart wouldn't let him.

Ash smiled sadly at his youngest companion and silently thanked him for his support with a nod of the head. Similar thoughts floated through the minds of Ash's female companions. Would Ash be able to do it? Could he survive?

Could they trust him?

That last thought is what destroyed any doubt that Ash could survive this. So one by one, each girl voiced their support for Ash taking on this mission. Though, it was clear in their voices that they were still terrified of the idea.

What made them change their minds? Simple…they all had absolute faith in Ash. Absolute confidence.

_Absolute trust_.

Without saying a word, fearing that he would ruin the moment, Ash hugged each woman for as long as he could. Having the support of your closest friends was the only thing that would get him through this, Ash was sure of it; without them, he felt as if he was nothing. After struggling out of a hug with Dawn, Ash backed away and shot them a soft smile.

"Thank you all so much. I'm glad you understand why I have to do this. And I'm sorry about before, I shouldn't have yelled at you or said what I did. My emotions are just all over the place right now, but that's no excuse. I care about each of you more than anything in this world, and the last thing I ever want to do is hurt you or scare you, and I know you're just trying to protect me, and I can't thank you enough for caring about me as much as you do." Ash explained softly, his usual warm, caring tone returning to his voice. "I'm going to have to leave first thing in the morning. I need to find her as quickly as possible."

As the raven haired man finished speaking, a smirk grew on Brock's face as he said one simple word that'd been on his mind ever since he'd taken Ash's side on the subject.

"We..."

"What?" Ash quizzed the pokemon doctor, not knowing what he was talking about, as he wiped the last of the tears from his eyes. Paul did know, however, as he joined Brock with a smirk of his own.

"He said 'we', Ash. As in __we__are going to get your mom back, together." Paul explained.

Ash's mouth went agape as he heard the purple haired trainer elaborate. He didn't know why he was shocked though, he did have the best friends in the world after all.

Now seeing Brock's intentions, the others joined in with a chorus of support. Also, everyone was hoping that this would help to lighten the mood, if only slightly.

"Yeah! We're with you all the way!" Max yelled. This time, his excitement was completely genuine.

"Of course we're going with you, all of us! I'd follow you to the end of the world, Ash." Serena spoke sweetly, her cheeks slightly red.

"You could definitely use a water pokemon master on your journey, don't you think?" Misty said while spinning a pokeball on her finger. It was surprising how the women had turned their emotions a complete 180.

"Ash, you know I would never make you handle something like this alone. Not when you're so important to me." May spoke while smiling, adding a slight blush of her own.

"I care about you way too much to let you do this on your own." Dawn said, ignoring the rising blush on her cheeks.

Ash should have been ecstatic that his friends were willing to help him one his journey, and he was at first but after realizing something, any and all happiness he felt over this was gone. The shock wore off after Dawn had finished speaking... only to be replaced by feelings of terror and dread.

He should have known that his friends would want to help him, but he couldn't let that happen. Not on a journey where even Ash had to admit death was a probability.

The internal struggle could be seen on Ash's face, making the others worry that something was wrong.

Just as May was about to question if he was alright, Ash spoke.

"You guys aren't coming with me..." Ash stated quietly.

No one caught what he'd said, so Brock spoke up, "What did you say, Ash?"

"I said you aren't coming with me, none of you." Ash spoke much louder this time around, making sure his point would get across.

"Ash, what are you talking about?" Dawn asked, concerned that she knew where he was headed.

Ash was about to speak, but a slightly angry Paul beat him to the punch, "You better not say what I think you're about to say, Ketchum."

Despite Paul's warning, Ash spoke anyway, "I have to do this alone. Team Rocket wants me dead, and if you guys are with me, there's no telling what could happen to you."

Most of the anger the group were feeling over being told that they couldn't come dissolved at Ash's soft tone. It was obvious that this was extremely hard for him, and that he was scared, especially of doing this on his own, but he simply cared about them too much to put them in such grave danger. This warmed their hearts, but they also wouldn't allow it to stand.

"If something were to happen to any of you I-"Ash's voice broke. "-I would never be able to live with myself. That's why I have to go alone."

It was all too clear now. Of course Ash didn't want any of them to come. He was just looking out for everyone's safety, like always. But this time, if he wasn't careful, his kindness and compassion, his love for his friends and family, would get him killed.

Without help, this outcome was a near certainty.

Ash was looking expectantly at his friends, awaiting some sort of response to his words. Serena marched slowly forward, placing herself directly in front of the man she loved with every fiber of her being.

Ash glanced down at the blonde, meeting her watery eyes.

Wasting no more time, Serena spoke, "Ash…What you just said, about you not being able to live with yourself, is exactly what each and every one of us would be feeling if something happened to you. I know I speak for everyone when I say that if we just sat back and let you do this alone, __we__wouldn't be able to live with __ourselves__."

The two continued staring at each other, even after Serena'd finished her explanation. He wasn't sure what was going on inside of him, but despite all the terrifying things that'd just happened, looking into Serena's beautiful blue eyes made him feel…safe.

Ash was broken out of his gaze when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up from Serena to meet Paul's steely dark purple eyes. He actually held a small smile on his face as he spoke. "We just want to help you, man. You changed me from a grade-A asshole into a halfway decent human being. You changed me for the better. I can't thank you enough for that, but I can start by helping you get your mother back."

"Ash, you made me the coordinator and the person that I am today. You helped me so much on our journey, taking so much time to guide me and show me the right way when you could've been focusing on yourself. This is the only way I can think of to repay you. And more than that, you are the best friend I've ever had. I would do _anything_ for you, Ash. Because you've proven time and time again that you'll do the same for me" Dawn added with incredible sincerity. Tears of loving emotion were welling up in her eyes as she thought about all the things Ah's done for her. She was slightly startled by just how much she loved Ash in this moment, but relished in the feeling none the less.

"You are the reason that I left the gym to follow my dream to become the world's best breeder. And although that dream morphed a bit, it doesn't change the fact that you are the best friend I have ever had. I'm with you, whether you like it or not." Brock said with a smile.

"Ash, you literally saved my life. More than once, even. Not only that, but you've shaped the person that I am completely, and I turned out pretty great if I do say so myself." May chuckled, "For that, I am eternally grateful. Ash Ketchum, you are by far the most important person in my life and you will always be the only one who holds that position. I want nothing more than to be there for you just as you are for me."

"Traveling with you around Hoenn and Kanto was the best decision I have ever made in my life. Getting to experience the world like that, even before I was a trainer, was and always will be the greatest times of my life. I may be young, but I'm coming with you to take down Team Rocket and get your mom back!" Max exclaimed, radiating confidence in a way that was infectious.

"You changed my perspective on so many Ash, including myself. You made me a better person and I am forever grateful that I get to call you my best friend. I'm coming with you, there are no if's, and's or but's about it." Misty added.

Seeing as everyone else had thrown in their two cents, Ash looked down expectantly at Serena, who hadn't moved from her spot in front of him.

Meeting his warm brown eyes, Serena smiled lovingly, "I've said it before, and I'll say it again... I will always be there for you Ash Ketchum, no matter what. And I truly mean _no matter what_. You've impacted me in more ways than you could ever know and you are truly the most amazing person I have ever, or will ever, meet, and I'm so happy for that fact. Like I said before, I will follow you to the ends of the Earth, Ash. I truly believe that we can do this. Never give up until the end, right?"

Ash couldn't help but smile at what Serena and the others had said, even despite the circumstances. That smile quickly faded however, as he began to ponder over whether or not it was a good idea to let his friends come on this, the most important journey of his life. He quickly came to one undeniable conclusion.

No.

It wasn't.

But seeing the determination on all of his friends' faces, he knew that even if he told them to stay, they wouldn't. The would follow him, they would be there for him, by his side, no matter how hard he tried to get them not to.

Ash took a moment and sighed while taking off his cap and running a hand through his unruly black hair. He then made sure that he held everyone's gaze.

"You guys are stubborn, you know that?" Ash said as he let the softest of smiles grace his lips.

His words were like music to their ears. Ash was correct in assuming that he wouldn't have been able to keep his friends away, as a similar thought was running through each person's heads as they awaited his response. No matter what he said, they would have followed him wherever he went.

Smiles were commonplace among everyone; No one yet realizing just how different this adventure would be.

For the first time since he'd arrived, Professor Oak spoke. "As much as I dislike the idea of you all going after Team Rocket, I know I can't stop you. Plus, it may be our only chance to save Delia. We better head back to the lab. Everyone can stay there for the night and you can leave in the morning. You definitely need to rest for the remainder of the day if you plan on leaving tomorrow."

Everyone seemed to be in agreement as they began walking down the road.

The walk to the lab was usually a very peaceful time for Ash. After journeying for so long, he'd learned to appreciate the beauty of a tranquil walk. This however, was the complete opposite of how he was feeling now.

Now that everything was settled and he knew that he had his friends support, Ash was finally able to begin thinking on how he would actually go about saving his mother.

It was more than obvious at this point that Team Rocket was willing to kill, and the fact that Ash was the number one target of the organization didn't help to ease his mind in the slightest.

He tried to convince himself that he wasn't scared, that this adventure would be just like all those before it. But even he couldn't succeed in lying to himself. Truth is, he was scared. Hell, anyone not scared in a situation such as this had to be crazy.

The gravity of the whole situation was finally hitting him completely. The walk, something he usual enjoyed, instead became a personal hell for him as he was nearly completely consumed by thoughts of both fear and failure.

He let his mind wander to him mother. Where was she right now? What were they doing to her...? That last thought nearly sent him over the edge, which caused him to physically shake his head, as if that would help get the thoughts out of his mind. It only slightly worked, however...

He was beginning to panic.

__"Panicking won't help anything. Take deep breaths and calm yourself." __Ash told himself mentally.

After he'd managed to calm himself down, his mind was now open to other things besides fear. Strangely enough, this allowed Ash to remember something from long ago. Something that his mother had told him back before he started his journey.

Ash'd been ecstatic to be starting his journey, of course, but there was also a certain element of fear that came with traveling the world alone at such a young age. He remembered confiding in his mother about his fears, attempting to find solace in her embrace.

That was when she said something that has been with Ash since the words were spoken,

__"Without fear, there cannot be courage."__

Whenever he recalled this phrase, it was as if he was ten again, seeking comfort in his mother's arms. These were the words that had gotten him through every life-threatening situation he'd encountered before. His many incidents with legendary pokemon were always faced with an immense amount of courage. Something he could not have if he'd not also been afraid.

These thoughts soothed Ash enough for him to actually begin to enjoy the walk in a way. He was in his own little world, only to be brought out by Pikachu who was resting on his shoulder.

"Pika Pi?" Pikachu asked, worried for his friend. He was spaced out completely and after everything that'd just happened, Pikachu didn't want Ash to be thinking too much about it in fear of a mental breakdown, even despite Ash's strong defenses.

Ash looked to his partner on his shoulder and gave him a soft smile. "I'm fine, buddy, I promise. No need to worry."

Pikachu was hesitant at first, but after seeing how genuine Ash's smile was, he knew that he wasn't lying. The yellow pokemon was glad that his trainer and best friend had gotten past what he was feeling earlier to an extent. Due to the connection the two shared, Pikachu had endured everything that Ash'd felt as everything was happening, and it was terrible to say the least. He was just glad that it seemed that the worst was over. At least, for now...

The group walked for a while longer in silence, only to stop when Paul raised a hand, signaling for them to do as such. As the group squinted to see what was ahead and why Paul'd stopped them, they realized there was something on the road in front of them.

Actually, it was __someone ___on the road_, or rather, __two__someones, both haggardly walking down the road toward them.

To the group of friends, they were immediately recognized.

After all, it wasn't very often that you saw a Meowth walking upright. And the signature periwinkle hair and vibrant green eyes easily identified the pokemon's partner.

James and Meowth.

* * *

__Forest just outside of Pallet Town__

A light drizzle was falling on and off. It was almost a pleasant mist with how light it was. This made the journey a bit more enjoyable for both James and Meowth, as the usually hot Kanto sun was not beating down on them at the moment.

"Are we almost there, Meowth?" James asked. If he was tired, he hid it well. It seemed like he had unlimited energy; they had been walking nonstop for a full day, after all. James attributed his lack of exhaustion to his urgent will to help, something he'd never truly felt before.

"Just a little further, James. As soon as we get outta this forest, we'll be in Pallet." Meowth responded while slashing a branch that was in his way with Fury Swipes.

There was a clear cut path through the small forest some ways away from the two ex-rockets, but they had opted not to take it. This was in fear of seeing any other Rocket operatives on said road. They knew that the Rockets were after Ash, and that meant that there would certainly be grunts in his hometown, watching him.

This fear stemmed from the fact that they had no idea who knew that they were no longer part of the organization. And they had a feeling that quitting the __new__Team Rocket would be accompanied by disastrous consequences.

The two continued walking with urgency towards the town of Pallet. Twigs snapped underneath their feet as the continued through the dense brush. James was about to take another tedious step when he felt Meowth's paw on his leg, signaling for him to stop.

James looked down at Meowth, ready to question what was wrong when the cat-scratch pokemon put a finger to his lips, signaling for quiet.

The periwinkle haired man now understood what was up. They had been through this many times while going through both this forest and Viridian Forest. Meowth's hearing was extra sensitive, so he would warn James if something or someone was around.

It was usually nothing, most times being a Caterpie or a Wurmple, but other times, it could have quite possibly saved their lives. Especially when they were able to hide from a swarm of Beedrill that Meowth had detected before they waltz into their territory.

James really thought nothing of Meowth's actions and just did as he said. However, when Meowth pulled harshly on his pants, he knew something more than just a bug-type pokemon was around.

Meowth's pull made James lower to the cat's level, putting him in a crouching position. He knew he was supposed to stay quiet, but he needed to know what was out there.

"It's not more Beedrill, is it?" James asked in a light whisper.

Meowth shot him a glare, telling him to be quiet when a twig snapped loudly not far from their position. Both man and Pokemon's eyes shot to where they heard the loud crack.

They couldn't quite see what it was yet, but Meowth managed to hear talking with his sensitive hearing, indicating that these were humans.

Luckily for them both, the spot they were crouched in provided a lot of cover from the direction the sound had came from. The trees and the dense brush would surely be enough to prevent them from being spotted. This left them only one thing to do…

...listen.

The sounds of twigs and branches breaking was now easily heard by both partners as what was now identified as two men started getting closer to James and Meowth. Within moments, they were close enough to where James could hear their conversation as well as Meowth.

"I still can't believe everyone else got to leave on the helicopter, but we have to walk back to base just because they didn't have enough room! And we can't even take main roads! This is going to take forever!" One of the men complained.

By now, the two men were directly in front of the hidden ex-Rockets. It was easy for them to see that these men were indeed, members of Team Rocket; the uniforms they were wearing made it extremely obvious.

"I know, it's complete bullshit! They never would have been able to pull off destroying the house or getting the hostage without our expertise. Hold on a minute, I need to tie my boot." The other grunt said whilst dropping to one knee in order to tie his boot.

The position the man was in put him literally eye to eye with James. Luckily, James could just barely see the other man, and it didn't seem like the man had seen him.

He focused his breathing, taking short, quick breaths in through his nose and out through his mouth. For a moment, it seemed as if the two men locked eyes. James felt his heart sink as he thought he could make out a look of recognition on the man's face.

"Hey, come over here. I think there's something in this brush." The man said to the other, who complied and knelt down next to him.

Both James' and Meowth's hearts began racing. They had to think fast. Luckily, this was somewhat of a specialty of the scratch-cat pokemon.

Throwing caution to the wind, Meowth leapt from his position of relative safety and revealed himself to the two rocket grunts, scaring them half to death in the process.

Both men were breathing heavily after the brief jump scare. After they recovered themselves, they looked to the culprit.

What they saw was your average, ordinary Meowth. Sitting like a good cat would, licking his paw.

"Meowth Meow Meowth!" Meowth said, putting his plan into action.

Both men sighed when they realized they were in no danger. They were both worried that it was a more dangerous pokemon.

"Stupid cat…" One of the grunts mumbled as he regained his footing.

"Just leave it, we gotta get moving if we're going to make it back to base anytime soon." Said the other man, having regained his footing before his partner.

"Yeah, whatever." The man responded grumpily. "I just can't wait to find out what Giovanni and Ghetsis are going to do to that Ketchum kid. Whatever it is, it's been a long time coming."

"I don't know, but you can bet your ass that it's going to be brutal." The second man responded, laughing at the prospect of pain being inflicted.

"I know, I can't wait until that bastard pays for his crimes against Team Rocket. I've been saying we needed to be more violent for years! It's already paying off.;" The first man added as the two exited hearing distance.

Seeing that the coast was now clear, both Meowth and James let out sighs of relief. James removed himself from the dense brush he'd been hidden in once he was sure that the grunts were gone.

"Good work, Meowth. That was real quick thinking on your part. You saved our asses back there." James praised the cat pokemon.

"It was nothing. Just a cat being a cat. Even though it is totally degrading acting like a total house Meowth." The scratch-cat responded.

The two shared a small laugh at that. As the laughter died down, their faces became serious. They knew right at that moment that laughter would certainly be an oddity in their near future.

The two friends met each other's gazes, both reading the other's serious expression

"Those guys, they were definitely coming from Pallet Town." Meowth said.

"And they were talking about them destroying a house and a-" James gulped. "-a hostage."

"I think it's safe to say we know who that hostage is…" Meowth added somberly. The hostage they spoke of had to be Ash. Who else could it be?

"We need to get to Pallet Town…Now." James spoke with urgency before the two took off running in the direction of Pallet.

* * *

The group of friends stood perfectly still as the witnessed the the approach of the two rockets. The group was currently staring at them, confused more than anything. James was dressed…differently than they remembered.

James and Meowth were equally as confused. How on Earth was Ash here? Wasn't he supposed to be the hostage?

__"If it wasn't him those grunts were talking about, then who did they kidnap?"__Meowth thought with worry.

While the rest of his friends looked on in confusion, Ash didn't see anything to be confused about. All he saw was what he thought were two members of the organization that'd captured his mother. The organization that was trying to kill him.

Ash clenched his fists and grit his teeth, literally seething in anger.

James and Meowth both looked relieved to see that everyone was okay, especially Ash. But as their eyes past over the shoulders of the group of friends, they saw the smoldering soot that used to be Ash's home.

"Oh my God..." James mumbled as a hand went to cover his mouth.

"Well, at least Ash is-"Meowth started, but was cutoff when a loud thud rang out next to him.

As everyone looked to the sound, they all witnessed James hit the ground, someone on top of him. __Ash__on top of him

Ash'd seen red.

He snapped.

As soon as James finished speaking, Ash took off running at full speed and tackled James to the ground. Fists were flying as soon as Ash gathered a position of dominance over James.

Pikachu had rushed along with his trainer, feeling just as angry. However, as he was about to attack, he realized that Ash wanted to handle this on his own, at least for the time being,. So instead, he opted to watch and wait to see if there would be an opening for him to attack.

Ash was straddling James' chest, making sure he couldn't get away as he continued the onslaught. He started off with a series of right and left hooks to James' face.

"You dare show your face here, you son of a bitch! Destroying my home, killing our pokemon and taking my mother wasn't enough for you!? Huh?!" Ash screamed directly into James' face.

James did not respond, however. All he could do was look on in complete shock and fear. After years of following him around various regions, he had never seen Ash snap like this. The rage, the absolute hatred that could clearly be seen in his eyes could literally be felt. James found himself desperately wishing that he wasn't the target of this rage.

The rest of the group was too shocked to move at the moment. Just minutes ago, it seemed that Ash had gotten a hold of himself. They guessed seeing someone associated with Team Rocket had made him snap again…not that anyone could really blame him.

The fact that James did not respond to his barrage of questions just served to anger Ash further. If he hadn't completely lost it before, then he definitely had now.

"I'll kill you! You son of a bitch, I'll fucking kill you!" Ash screamed even louder than before, a feat not thought possible by those surrounding him.

It was at this time that the shock began to wear off and the group started to realize what was happening. Hearing Ash say that he was going to kill James made the situation a more dire one, as he seemed completely serious by the way he was beating him.

By this time, Ash's fists were constantly flying. He threw flurries of punches to James' face, drawing a lot of blood. One of his fists in particular, had a blue glow around it as it hit James' face harder than the other.

It was safe to assume that James' nose was broken, as it had a definite and pronounced crook in it. The blood pouring from it formed an immense puddle on the ground next to his head. This was added to by the large gash that had formed on his forehead, directly above his eyebrow. This sensitive skin was easily broken by Ash's fists.

"Ash! Stop it!" Meowth pleaded, watching his only friend being beaten mercilessly in front of his eyes.

Both Paul and Brock were trying to find an opening, a way that they could get Ash off of James without getting hurt themselves. Eventually, the damage being dealt was too great to ignore so, throwing caution to the wind, Brock and Paul rushed in and pulled Ash off of the ex-rocket, both receiving a few accidental elbows of their own from the enraged Ash.

"Let me go! I'm finishing this bastard before he can hurt anyone else!" Ash yelled at his friends, who were currently dragging him backwards by each arm.

Ash was resisting hard, trying to break the hold of his two friends. He was stronger than both Paul and Brock individually, but together, he was no match.

Slowly, he realized that he wouldn't be able to break free from their grasp, so he came up with another plan. Before he got too far away from James, he swooshed around all of the saliva in his mouth and spat it on James' face. The ultimate sign of disrespect.

Now that Ash was off of James, the full extent of what Ash'd done was evident.

His face was a bloody mess, and that was putting it nicely. His right eye was already nearly swollen shut and blood covered almost the entirety of his face; the very top of his forehead being the only part spared. Just looking at him proved one thing for certain...

Ash had beaten James within an inch of his life.

It was gruesome, and most everyone chose to look away; not only attempting to shield themselves from the bloody James in front of them, but also from the horrifying image of Ash beating him replaying in each person's mind. It quickly became clear that the scene of their best friend nearly killing a man would be cemented in their minds forever.

No one had seen Ash so angry before. Brock was actually pretty sure he hadn't heard Ash swear the entire time he had known him either, and yet here he was, swearing like a sailor while beating some guy to a pulp.

Granted, most everyone understood why Ash had snapped. Hell, any of them probably would have too if in the same situation and under the same circumstances. However, this was __Ash___ who_'d done this.

Ash, the kindest, sweetest man that anyone would ever meet had nearly beaten James to death.

None of the girls dared to even look at Ash at the moment out of fear of having their image of him tainted by this…animalistic side of him. May and Serena had already began crying, completely terrified of the situation, and Dawn and Misty weren't far behind. Though even despite this, they felt intense anger for the two rockets as well. Everyone hated how sporadic their emotions were on this day.

Max on the other hand, looked just as angry as Ash had been. Having Ash as a big brother figure for so long had shaped the way that Max acted a lot. It turns out that in times of extreme fury, they reacted similarly.

Seeing that Ash was no longer in a position to hurt James, Max prepared to charge in himself. Luckily for the ex-rocket, Professor Oak'd noticed his intentions and held him back, preventing any further attacks from occurring.

Somehow, James had managed to remain conscious throughout the beating and after a few moments, sat up very slowly.

"I probably deserved some of that, but don't you think that was a bit excessive?" James asked, sounding more than dazed. He then plopped back down, lacking the ability to sit up any longer.

Meowth was standing over his friend, extremely worried. Ash had beaten James half to death just because he's seen him in the street. He knew that he had some explaining to do.

Meowth looked back towards Ash and saw a face that he would never forget. The look of pure, unadulterated hatred plastered on the boy's face struck fear into his heart. He looked like a wild Tauros about to rampage.

He then saw the same looks of pure hatred on the faces of both Pikachu and Max, luckily for him, both were being held back so that they couldn't attack, Max by Oak and Pikachu by Misty, who had gotten control of herself just in time to prevent Pikachu from charging.

Meowth gulped hard before he began to speak. "Please! Just let me explain!"

Some of the anger radiating from Ash seemed to find its way to the others as many adorned looks of hatred now as well. Even the girls though, they were still looking away from the scene, a number of tears still running down their cheeks.

"Why should we!? Not only did you almost killed Ash, but your organization kidnapped his mother!" Paul screamed, feeling anger coursing through his body like blood. He was honestly considering releasing Ash so that he could continue the beating at this point.

"That's exactly it! It's not __our__organization anymore. We both quit right after Jessie did what she did! You've got to believe me!" Meowth was pleading at this point, still fearing for his partner, but also his own well being as well.

Immediately, the gang became curious as to if what the pokemon had said could possibly be true. They had been Rocket grunts for a very long time, so it was kind of hard to believe that they would leave just like that. But something did catch Oak's eye. He had seen enough Team Rocket grunts to know the uniform they all wore, but when he looked to James, he wasn't wearing one.

"Everyone, I think he might be telling the truth." Oak said softly, trying to keep everyone as calm as they could be.

"How can you say that, professor? These people lie for a living!" Ash exclaimed, to which practically everyone agreed.

"Look at him, he's not wearing a Team Rocket uniform. He's in normal street clothes." Oak tried to explain, not wanting to see anymore violence.

"No way, that's not enough proof. He probably just took it off to help feed into his lie!" Max exclaimed.

"Wait! Don't you guys remember? Right after Jessie shot Ash, James and I tackled her so she couldn't hurt anyone else! That has to mean something! We really had no idea what Jessie was going to do. We've wanted out of Team Rocket for a long time, this new change in Jessie and the organization was just the straw that broke the Camerupt's back." Meowth explained, beginning to panic slightly that they still weren't believing him.

Ash scoffed, "Right, like you would-"

Ash was cut off by Brock, "Ash, he's telling the truth. I couldn't be sure, I thought I was just seeing things, but right after you were hit, I looked towards Jessie, expecting another gunshot, but Meowth and James subdued her. I swear, that's what I saw."

Ash, along with everyone else look to Brock in surprise. If Brock said he believed Meowth, then they did as well. To Ash and many others, Brock was the most trustworthy person he knew; he would never lie to him.

Everyone felt a most of their anger fade away towards the now identified former Rockets. Ash, understandably, held a bit more anger than the others, however.

Once Brock and Paul felt that Ash relax slightly, confident that he wouldn't jump back on James again, they released his arms. To their relief, he didn't attempt to attack James again. Instead he simply held his ground and stared at Meowth.

Ash took a few frustrated and sporadic breaths before sighed, letting out even more of his anger as he continued to cool off. "Okay Meowth, we believe you. But you have to understand that with everything that just happened…"

"I understand, Ash. I probably would have done the same thing if I were you. I'm just glad you got control back before you tried to kill me!" Meowth tried throwing in a bit of humor to lighten the mood. His words however, only reminded everyone of the awful state that James was currently in.

Realizing this along with everyone else, Brock rushed over to James's aid.

"Professor, would you mind giving me a hand here?" Brock asked as he crouched next to James, who was unconscious.

Oak nodded and ran over and joined Brock in examining James. No one said anything for a while as they watched James be looked over. Everyone felt bad that it'd happened, now knowing that James and Meowth were no longer members of Team Rocket, but Ash felt the most remorse of all. After all, he'd been the one to actually inflict the damage.

"Is he going to be okay professor, Brock?" Ash asked timidly, a much different tone than before.

Brock sighed before responding, "You did a real number on him, Ash. It's a good thing we pulled you off of him when we did. If you would have hit him just a few more times in the right places, I don't know if he would've been able to survive."

Ash breathing hitched at his friend's words.

"His nose is definitely broken and this gash on his forehead will need stitches for sure, but other than that, he should be fine after some rest. Just some bruises and swelling. He might have a concussion, so we're gonna have to check for that as well." Brock finished, confident in his diagnosis.

A collective sigh of relief was released, the loudest coming from Ash and Meowth. Hearing the news, the girls had managed to halt their tears. They still didn't dare look at Ash yet, the unfamiliar feeling of fear they currently felt towards him making them do this.

"Come on everyone, we have to get him to my lab so that we can fix him up properly." Oak said, standing from his crouched position.

Brock looked as if he was going to lift up and carry James, but he was stopped by Ash's hand on his shoulder.

"I'll do it." Ash spoke seriously. He still felt a great deal of remorse for what he'd done, he doubted he would ever stop feeling bad about it, so he wanted to help James in any way that he could.

With James taken care of, the group, including Meowth, began walking to the lab. The long walk left the members a lot of time to think.

Serena's mind was racing a mile a minute. She was just now fully processing everything that'd just happened. A lot of it was kind of hazy, her subconscious already pushing the traumatic images to the annals of her mind. But no matter what was forgotten, one thing would always remain.

Ash almost killed James.

If it had just been him and James there, with no one to pull him off and calm him down…she shuddered at the thought of what would've happened.

Seeing Ash snap and attack James like that was terrifying, and by the looks of the others around her, it scared them as well.

She knew full well that traumatic situations could change people. Serena just hoped and prayed that she would never have to see that side of Ash again, and she had a pretty good feeling the others felt this way as well.

Ash was thinking about nothing else but what he'd done. He actually managed to scare himself in that moment. He was scared of losing control, scared that he would do it again.

When Ash thought that James was still a part of Team Rocket, the beating he dished out felt almost…therapeutic for him, despite the bruised knuckles that were sure to come. It felt like a great justice was being served, that some form of retaliation was being dished out for what the organization had done to him and his family. Looking back on it however, made Ash fearful of himself. Of what he could do.

Of what he __wanted__to do.

The thoughts of the others didn't vary much. What Ash had just done to James was absolutely brutal, and the image of it would be burned into their minds forever. Seeing Ash go so…primal was frightening to everyone. The Ash they saw back there was not the same boy they all knew and loved. In that moment, he'd changed into someone else entirely.

Hatred can do that to a person.

* * *

James started to come to in an unfamiliar place, at a time he did not know. He attempted to open his eyes, but was met with a great deal of difficulty and pain. He also had a pounding headache.

__"Oww… W-What happened…?" __James thought to himself as he writhed in near agony.

Taking a moment to let the pain pass, he then attempted to open his eyes again. He was successful in opening his left eye, but his right eye wouldn't join for some reason. It hurt incredibly bad to even attempt to open it, so he opted to just keep it closed.

The lights seemed obnoxiously bright to the man, although he knew it must've been because of the pounding migraine he had making him sensitive to it.

He sat up from his rested position in order to better understand the situation he was in. All James remembered was rushing toward Pallet Town after seeing the two rocket grunts in the forest.

Now that he'd sat up, and the lights didn't seem as bright on his sensitive irises anymore, he was able to look around the room and attempt to get his bearings.

His gaze was met with rows of machines and seemingly endless shelves of what looked to be scraped projects of all kinds. He then looked towards himself, seeing a series of patches placed around his bare chest.

Confused, he followed the wires that lead from said patches to try to find a source. He didn't know what'd happened, so he didn't want to be rash and yank the patches off without finding out what they were first. This was a stark contrast to how he would have acted years ago whilst still in Team Rocket.

It was then that he heard a loud beeping. His eyes were about to leave the trail of wires until he realized that the sound was coming from where the wires were leading.

Glancing above him and to his left, he saw a heartbeat monitor. There was a steady, rhythmic thumping of a heart, which he assumed was his.

__"Okay…so I got hurt. But this doesn't look like a hospital." ___J_ames half scoffed, half laughed at his next thought.__"I guess it's a good thing this probably isn't a hospital. Wouldn't want my name on some record somewhere. Not after all I've done…"__

Becoming slightly annoyed with the constant beeping, James ripped the patches off of his chest all at once by yanking on the wires that sprouted from each one.

The machine flat lined, now just a constant, uninterrupted beep was blaring throughout the room. The sound was loud enough to make James' head hurt even more, also furthering to annoy him.

He attempted to focus his mind elsewhere, which was when he heard what sounded like voices coming from the room next to him.

Immediately, James went into a small panic. After leaving Team Rocket, he not only had to be careful of the police due to his track record, but no doubt he would need to be on the lookout for other Rockets as well.

His worried thoughts were halted however, as he heard a familiar voice speak in from the other room.

"...So that's what they did? Wow... How overconfident can you get? Being so sure of yourself that you are willing to risk so much just for some sick game..."

James immediately recognized that the voice belonged to his old buddy Meowth, and he didn't sound alarmed our worried, a very good sign.

"Brock! His heartbeat has stopped!" He heard a mature voice say with urgency. As the statement rolled on, James could tell that the sound of the voices were definitely getting closer to his location.

Not ten seconds later, an old man, whom he recognized as Professor Oak as well as Brock came rushing into his room. These two were followed by the rest of the group, all except for a certain raven haired trainer.

As soon as they entered the room, a collective sigh of relief was let out.

"James! You're awake!" Meowth said as he burst from the back of the group and ran up in front of James.

James put on a smile at his friends display of happiness. This was the one and only good thing he got out of Team Rocket.

A true friend.

Meowth, a usually very proud pokemon, hugged James' leg for a moment before looking up to his face.

"Yep. Just a hurt eye and a massive headache." James looked to the rest of the group behind the cat, "I see we made it to Pallet Town. What happened to me anyway?"

James' question was met with a bit of confusion. That is, until everyone remembered just how much trauma James had suffered. Short-term memory loss was a common thing for people in his situation; whether it be because of brain trauma, or emotional distress, it was all the same.

"You mean you don't remember?" May asked, a little fearful of having to hear the explanation of what'd happened again.

"No, but I'm glad to see you realize that we're not members of Team Rocket anymore. Anyway, all I remember is walking to Pallet Town to find and warn-"

"Me...?"

James was cut off by the newest arrival to the room.

Ash.

All eyes were on him, as these were the first words Ash'd uttered since they'd left where the incident occurred, and that was over 3 hours ago now. Pikachu held his usual perch on his shoulder, looking to be in a similar state as his trainer.

His eyes were red from the silent tears he'd been crying, his Jacket partially covered in blood.

James' blood.

The second that James' eyes met Ash's, everything that happened to him in the last few hours came rushing back into his mind. It played out like a mini-movie. He watched himself as he was beaten mercilessly by Ash. He heard the screaming, the obscenities flying his way.

After everything was replayed in his mind and he now remembered what'd happened, James backed away from Ash in fear. This small action broke Ash's heart even more than it already was. He didn't want anyone to be afraid of him. That's not the kind of person he was. But seeing James shrink in fear, he knew that he was successful in something he wasn't trying to do.

Ash put his hand up in a non-threatening way before speaking, "James, I promise, I'm not going to hurt you. What happened before was a complete misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding? You beat the hell out of me!" James seemed to gain a bit of confidence.

Ash looked as if he was going to retort, but he silenced himself quickly, instead opting to sigh. "I know, and I am so sorry for that. I-I don't know what happened. Something in me just…snapped. After everything that's happened, the minute I saw someone I thought was associated with Team Rocket, I just lost it."

"Listen James, I am so sorry for what I did. I want you to know that, even though I don't expect you to forgive me…" Ash finished solemnly, feeling more guilty thanhe ever had in his life.

James, along with everyone else, listened intently to Ash's words. They were definitely genuine, that much they could tell.

James just continued staring, seemingly through Ash for a few moments as he processed things in his mind.

"Ash." James started, seeming to lose all previous fear he held towards the boy. "I do forgive you. And also…I'm sorry."

To say Ash was shocked was an understatement. He had beaten this man nearly to death just a few hours earlier and yet here he was, forgiving him. Not only that, but apologizing himself even.

But for what?

Now that they knew that James and Meowth weren't part of Team Rocket anymore, what could he possibly be apologizing for?

Seeing the shock and confusing adorning literally everyone's faces, James continued, "I'm sorry for everything me and Meowth have done to you over the years. We spent years trying to separate you and your best friend. It was a horrible thing that we tried to do to you on a nearly daily basis. For that, I am extremely sorry."

James smiled at the electric rodent before continuing on.

"I'm also sorry about whatever Team Rocket is doing to you now. I had no idea what Jessie and the organization had planned for you that day, I swear! As soon as I saw that gun, I knew that couldn't be the bad guy anymore. So, after everything that I've done to you, I think a little beating is more than justified." James finished while looking at himself in the mirror, for the first time seeing the damage Ash had dished out.

What he saw shocked him. He had a number of stitches above his eyebrow and his right eye was completely swollen shut. He went to touch his face, but retracted his hand when he touched his nose. It was still very obviously broken and out of place.

James then looked back to the room full of new acquaintances. Seeing that they still wouldn't respond, he took the opportunity to speak even further.

"How could I not forgive you, Ash? After all, the whole reason we came to Pallet Town was to try and help you." James stated before turning serious and addressing the one question on his mind, "Meowth and I heard something about them taking a hostage, whom I though was you. Could you explain everything that's going on exactly?"

One by one, each person broke out of their shocked states and processed what James had asked. Meowth looked to Ash to see if he would answer. However, he was met with the sight of Ash hanging his head low, obviously saddened by the reminder of the situation at hand.

Knowing that Ash wouldn't be responding for the moment, Meowth took the reins. After all, they had just spent the last few hours talking about the situation at hand.

"James, I think you should sit down. We have a lot to talk about."

* * *

****A/N: Sorry for being late with the update, but I had a lot of baseball and school stuff this past week, and I mean a lot! Anyway, Let me know what you think of it in a review! See Ya!****


	9. Fear and Setting Off

****A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry that this took longer than usual. To be honest, I had free time to write, I just wasn't feeling it at the moment. Speaking of this time, I did something I never thought I would. I watched Anime. Well, anime other than pokemon. Anyway, first I watched Clannad and balled my eyes out. Then, I watched Kanon and balled my eyes out again. I loved every minute of both series. I am the kind of person who loves to ******__**feel**__****__******and the feels in both of those anime were so strong it was amazing. Getting people to feel something is one of the main reasons I decided to begin writing. I love when something can get me to cry or feel be happy, any kind of strong emotion. Anyway, if anyone knows any anime with romance that are like Kanon or Clannad, then please shoot me a PM or a review and tell me. I am literally craving more exceptional romance anime. Enjoy chapter 9****

__"Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?"__

**― ****__L.M. Montgomery__**

* * *

A Trial of Will

"And that's where we are now. Everyone is planning to leave tomorrow." Professor Oak finished. He opted to be the one to speak, knowing that it would be difficult for many of the others if they had to be the one to do so given the situation.

James sat in total silence, listening intently to the story of what'd happened over the course of the past few days. He'd been told everything, from what'd happened immediately after Ash was shot, to just before he was beaten senseless.

James let out a breath he didn't know he was holding the moment Oak finished speaking.

"Wow… I-I don't know what to say to all of that. I knew that Team Rocket were scum, even when I was in the organization, but I can't believe that they would go that far..." James spoke incredulously.

Even though he was out of the organization now, James couldn't help but feel remorse for ever being a member of such a team.

"You and me both…" Oak sighed, just loud enough to be heard.

At this time, the room fell completely silent. And even though it was a very uncomfortable silence, no one dared to speak. James took this moment of silence to look at each person in the room.

His eyes first drifted to Paul, Brock and the Professor were sitting. He remembered each of them individually from all of the times they'd met while he was still a part of Team Rocket, and seeing the downcast looks on their faces felt wrong to even him. From what he could tell, this wasn't like them at all.

He then shifted his gaze to where Misty, May, Dawn and Serena sat on a long 4-person couch. Misty had always seemed to be hot headed and mentally strong, but now, like the rest of the girls, she was crying softly. Hearing the story be told again was obviously traumatic for everyone. Hell, even James himself felt overwhelmed by all the information that was just thrown his way. The fact that this was actually happening made him sick to his stomach.

Lastly, he looked toward Ash, who sat with Pikachu in his lap on an old armchair near the corner of the room. The first thing James noticed was the almost desperate look on the rodent's face. The mouse pokemon kept taking glances up at his trainer, hoping that somehow, everything would go back to the way it was and his best friend would return to normal.

He then looked up at Ash, and he immediately understood why Pikachu seemed so upset and concerned. Ash had his head down, his hat casting a shadow over his face.

He was motionless, almost to the point of looking like a statue. If it weren't for the shallow rise and fall of his chest, no one would've even known he was alive

James had 'known' Ash longer than any of the other companions in the room. He was well aware of Ash's attitude. This man was always determined and excited, always happy to help someone in need. Because of this, seeing him so…broken, motivated James to want to help even more. It was unlike him, James knew that, and even he understood that Ash needed to be returned to normal if they were going to have any chance of succeeding on this journey.

Having had enough of the silence, James stood from his seated position, catching everyone's attention in the process. However, his eyes were only on one person as he spoke.

"Ash, I want you to listen to me." James hoped Ash would have looked up at him when he was addressed, but instead, the raven haired man kept his head down, remaining motionless.

James sighed before walking up to the seated trainer, placing his hands on his shoulders, and bending down to look into his eyes.

Now that they were face to face, Ash had no choice but to look up, revealing his bloodshot and still tearful eyes. Again, the hearts of all in attendance broke a bit at seeing the usually strong Ash in such a state.

However, James was able to shake of the surprise and lock eyes with the man.

"I swear on everything that I love, we will get your mother back. I will do everything in my power to help you get to her, and take down Team Rocket in the process. There's no way we can fail, this mission is too important! The only thing we need is a leader... So, you have to get out of this funk and show me that strong, determined person that sent me and Meowth blasting off so many times."

Ash's eyes never left James'. This man, not three days ago ,was partners with the woman who'd tried to kill him. However, the look in his eyes, the smile on his face proved to Ash that James was being completely genuine.

After he came to this realization, Ash looked around the room and began thinking to himself.

__"He's right! Sitting here and sulking isn't going to get my mother back! I need to do something!"__Ash's eyes passed over the newly smiling faces of all his friends as a confident grin began to widen on his face. __"With everyone's help, there is no way we can fail!"__

After a few moments of thought, Ash stood and once again redirected his gaze to James, who'd since released his grip on him and backed away a couple of steps.

"Thank you, James… I mean it, thanks." Ash finished as James nodded happily. "And everyone else, thank you as well. I know that as long as we stick together, we can do this!"

Ash found his confidence level quickly returning to normal as he was once again able to think about all the reasons why they would succeed on this mission.

'That's the spirit, Ash! You know that we're all behind you 100 percent!' Brock spoke enthusiastically.

The smile on Ash's face widened at Brock's words. He then saw the happy, confident faces of all of his friends, James and Meowth included.

He then turned his attention back to James. Ash extended his hand in front of him, hoping for a handshake.

"To a new friendship." Ash said brightly.

James looked at the man's hand before looking up and smiling. He then nodded and shook Ash's hand. "To a new friendship."

Both James and Meowth were more than happy that Ash and company had accepted them into their group. In the past, neither of them had ever really had any friends. The only ones they could ever count on were each other. But now, they had many friends; friends that they would go to the ends of the earth for and would do the same for them.

"I hate to break up this moment, but we should really take it easy and get some rest. Especially if we're planning on leaving tomorrow." Paul reminded everyone.

It had been a long and tiring day and although it was a bit early, at a time like this, it seemed the more rest, the better.

"Wait! We're forgetting something! Something we were supposed to do earlier. Look at James, do you notice anything still…wrong... with his face?" Meowth exclaimed. He couldn't believe they'd forgotten to do something so important.

James panicked as he heard this. "What! What's wrong with my face now?!"

Everyone took a good look at James. At first it seemed fine, but then, Oak noticed something was definitely off. The realization hit the others shortly after.

"Oh dear, how could we have forgotten to do something as important as that?!" Oak commented with a sigh to no one in particular.

"Can someone please tell me what's wrong with me?!" James yelled, obviously still freaking out.

"Ah, I see it now. Your right professor. We definitely should have done this when he was still unconscious." Brock then turned to address James. "James, your nose is still out of place, we're going to have to fix it now."

Professor Oak chuckled in embarrassment as he spoke, "Hehe, sorry about that. It would have been a lot less painful had you been asleep when we did it, but I guess we kind of…forgot."

Upon discovering what was wrong, James was fuming, knowing the pain that was sure to come with fixing a broken nose.

"Are you serious!? How could you forget something like that?" James screamed. He was shooting daggers at Brock and Oak, who were both smiling innocently and apologetically.

Eventually, the anger left James' body, being replaced completely with defeat. This had to be done. He sighed before speaking, "You know what? It's fine. Let's just get this over with."

"Great. You might want to take a seat for this. I_ would_tell you this won't hurt a bit but…I'd be lying." Brock said, putting on rubber gloves as he prepared to fix the nose.

"I think your bedside manner needs some work…" James added dejectedly.

James took a seat on a couch, which was cleared out by Paul, Brock and the Professor, leaving James the only one seated. Brock took his position just to the side of James and prepared to begin.

"Alright James, are you ready?" Brock asked.

James sighed once again, "As I'll ever be..."

"Okay, then here…we…GO!" Immediately as he said the word 'go', Brock yanked and pulled the nose back into place as best he could.

James had only one response.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Man, that hurt worse than the actual beating…" James sighed as he rubbed his nose, which now adorned a nose guard, whilst looking in the mirror.

"Oh come on James, toughen up." Meowth said with a chuckle.

"Easy for you to say! You're not the one that just had his bones rearranged!" James shouted aggressively.

"Whatever, let's just get some sleep. We have a long road ahead of us." Meowth remarked, to which James nodded in agreement as they took their places on their cots in their room shared with Brock and Misty.

* * *

It had been a few hours since the procedure had taken place, and everyone had long been settled where they were designated to sleep for the night. The lab had two spare bedrooms besides Tracey and Oak's own sleeping quarters, so the group members wouldn't have to be completely cramped up next to each other.

Luckily for the group, Oak had a couple of cots and hospital beds for the pokemon if they were to ever get hurt. It wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep, but it was better than the floor.

Speaking of the floor, while everyone else got a cot or a couch to sleep on, Ash opted to sleep on the floor, giving up his couch for May.

It'd been about 15 minutes since the lights had been turned out in the room they had been in earlier. The couches were occupied by May and Dawn, and two cots were being used by Serena and Paul.

Ash had been laying in the dark, staring at the ceiling since. The only time he would take his eyes off of the ceiling was to look at Pikachu, who was sleeping contently near his head. Pikachu had opted to sleep with Ash, even though he could've slept on a couch with someone else. After everything that'd happened today, Pikachu wanted to be by his trainer's side, no matter what.

As Ash heard no noise around him, he assumed that everyone was asleep. Sighing, he attempted to close his eyes and catch some sleep of his own, but his mind had other plans.

Every time he closed his eyes, the day would replaying in his head. Over and over again he saw his house burned to the ground. He again witnessed Mimey draw his final breath in his arms. His mother getting kidnapped. Him going berserk…

Ash grunted quietly in frustration as he was unable to find peace, even when he closed his eyes. He knew then that trying to sleep at the moment was pointless.

Making sure not to wake up Pikachu, or anyone else for that matter, Ash silently stood from his makeshift bed on the floor. His mind was still racing and he was stressing out badly. He was going to do something that he hoped would calm himself.

Immediately thinking something that might help, Ash began to walk to the doors of the lab.

__"Maybe if I just watch the stars for a while… That always calms me down."__Ash thought hopefully. Even after the incident with May, stargazing still gaze him peace of mind.

As Ash left the lab, the refreshing breeze of the outdoors hit his restless body, instantly calming him down, if only justslightly. Without ever looking up at the sky, Ash made his way to a large patch of grass just to the right of the lab. Finding a good spot, he sprawled out on the grass and got as comfortable as he could.

Keeping his eyes closed, as to not ruin the reveal of the always beautiful night sky, Ash took deep breaths of the crisp, fresh night air that surrounded him.

After a few moments, Ash opened his eyes, hoping to be soothed by the beauty of the heavens above. However, his breathing hitched when he finally viewed the sky. Seeing what he did brought the exact opposite of the desired effect.

There were no stars to be seen.

It was a cloudy night.

It was so cloudy that all of the stars, and even the moon, were out of view. Ash sighed in defeat as his hopes of calming down were smashed.

He sat up and looked at his surroundings. It was nearly pitch black. Without the stars and moon shining brightly, the world was so…dark.

It seemed fitting. Being in such a dark state with a seemingly hopeless mission ahead of him...

He had been confident while talking to James, but he couldn't help but let uncertainty creep back into his mind. Nighttime was always when worried thoughts would creep up on people.

__"Can we really do this? I don't want anyone to get hurt..."__Ash's thoughts were actually scaring him.

__"Especially after what I did today, what if…I hurt someone that I care about? What if…"__

"No." Ash said aloud. He knew the stress was getting to his mind and the disappointment of not seeing the stars had pushed him over the edge. He had to stay positive, or there would be no way in hell that he would succeed.

His face growing determined, he stood to his feet as he planned on returning to the lab in order to escape the lightless sky.

To escape the darkness.

Something he wanted nothing more than to do.

As he turned around to head back to the lab, his expression changed to one of surprise as he saw Dawn standing in front of him. He was able to recognize her as his eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness around him.

Dawn was standing in place, about 15 feet from Ash. Her hands were clasped tightly together by her chest. Ash noticed her face looked somewhat…fearful.

"Dawn? What are you doing out here?" Ash asked. He'd thought everyone was asleep.

Dawn moved a few steps closer before responding, "Well, uh…I was still awake when I saw you leave the lab. I…I was worried about you, so I followed you. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. I appreciate the concern. It really means a lot that you care so much about me." Ash said kindly as he approached the woman, only leaving a few feet between them

Dawn blushed slightly at Ash's kind words, but her sad, fearful expression never left her face. This did not go unnoticed by Ash.

"Dawn, what's wrong?" Ash asked, concerned.

Dawn raised her head from its slightly lowered position and put on an obviously fake smile. "Nothing's wrong! I'm perfectly fine, silly!"

Ash held his stoic expression, looking right through Dawn's façade. "Dawn…what's wrong?"

Dawn sighed. She should've known she wouldn't have been able to hide anything from Ash. Not only did he know her too well to not know when she was being truthful or not, but she was also a terrible liar.

"It's just…I-I'm scared, Ash. Everything is changing and such horrible things are happening. I just don't know what to do. I'm scared of what's going to happen." Dawn spoke softly, tears slowly building up in her eyes.

Witnessing the fear Dawn felt, Ash closed the distance between them and hugged Dawn tightly, which was eagerly returned. His embrace would always serve to make her feel better.

Ash stayed silent for a few moments, letting Dawn calm down in his arms before trying to settle her nerves verbally.

"I know Dawn, I'm scared too. Honestly, I'm scared out of my mind. There's no guarantee that everything is going to turn out alright, and that's what scares me the most. But it's okay to be scared. If we weren't scared right now, we wouldn't be human. What we have to do is work past these fears and believe that we're going to be alright. As long as we do that, I truly believe that we will be fine in the end. And I promise, I won't let anything happen to you. No matter what." Ash whispered softly, still holding Dawn close.

Ash felt Dawn loosen up a bit into the hug, something he took as a good sign.

Ash's words and embrace had comforted Dawn a great deal, but there was still something floating in her mind. She really didn't want to say it, but she felt she had to be totally truthful with him.

"I-I was scared of you today…" Dawn said almost inaudibly, just loud enough for Ash to hear.

At Dawn's words. Ash immediately released the hug and attempted to hide the hurt look on his face, though the bluenette still saw it, and it shattered her heart, making her regret bringing this up.

In all honesty, Ash's expected her, and everyone else, to be scared of him after what he'd done to James. After all, he was even scared of himself in that moment.

But no matter what he was expecting, hearing those words hurt him deeply. Hearing that someone he cared about so much feared him, if only for a short period of time, killed him inside.

Ash sighed sadly as he looked to the ground. "I-I know. I kind of expected you guys to be a afraid of me after what I did. I don't know what happened, I just- I snapped. I lost control."

Dawn still felt awful about bringing this up, especially after hearing the hurt in Ash's voice, but she'd already done it so she wanted to get everything out. She was past the point of no return.

"All of us were scared. Me, May, Serena, Misty... but Ash, it's okay, it's over now and-" Dawn was cut off when Ash looked up at her and spoke.

"There's something else I have to say, Dawn." Ash's tone wasn't aggressive or demanding, but Dawn felt the seriousness that his soft voice carried. He wouldn't have cut her off if it wasn't important.

"I am truly sorry and remorseful for what I did. And more importantly, I'm sorry for scaring you and the others. The last thing I want is for you, or any of my friends to be afraid of me. But-"

Ash met Dawn's watery eyes and sighed.

"...But I can't promise something like that won't happen again."

Dawn was shocked by Ash's words. After that whole apology, that's what he ended with? Dawn wasn't mad at this, more confused.

"Ash how…how can you say that. I don't-'

Ash put his hand up. "Dawn, you have to understand. My mom is in the hands of some of the most evil people on the planet. She's in danger and now, so are all of you. I will do anything, and I mean _anything_, to make sure that no one gets hurt, that everyone stays safe. And if that means something has to happen like what happened today, then so be it. Because I will not let anything happen to you or anyone else I care about. That's a promise."

By the time Ash had finished, Tears had welled up in his eyes, his expression remaining serious, though his voice was full of emotion and conviction.

Dawn's mouth fell slightly agape. Everything that Ash'd just said immediately began running through her mind. As much as she hated to admit it, she could understand why Ash said it could happen again. His mother was in danger and he was going to do anything to get her back.

However, what really made her understand was what Ash said about protecting her and the others. He'd always been the kind of person to put others before himself, and this situation was no different. If saving her meant someone had to die by his hands, then he would do it, no matter how he, or anyone else felt about it afterward.

Dawn looked in Ash's eyes and saw the burning determination and compassion, that was always there, but there was also something else, something that made Dawn gasp inaudibly.

In his eyes, Dawn could see exactly what Ash was feeling. He hated this. He hated that he had to had to be willing to kill in order to keep those he loved safe. He hated what he did, and the thought that he might have to do something similar in the future.

But despite his hatred for these things, he was still willing to do them. For her. For the others. Ash was willing to taint his own soul to make sure that Dawn and the others stayed safe. Even with having known Ash for a very long time, this realization still amazed Dawn and made her admire him even more than she did before, which was truly saying something.

Their gazes were locked intensely for a few moments. Ash now had a few tears falling down his face, but his serious expression was still intact. And at this point, Dawn herself was letting a few tears fall.

__"How could I ever be afraid of him? I love him more than anything in the world. I know he would never hurt me… He would do anything for me." __Dawn thought to herself as a small smile formed through her tears.

Without any hesitation, Dawn captured Ash in another hug, though this one held a lot more positive emotion behind it. She had the strongest desire to kiss him at that moment, but she knew that it was definitely not the time or place to do that. Instead, she opted to cry and smile into Ash's broad chest as her love for the man currently in her embrace continued to deepen.

Ash returned the hug immediately. He could always read Dawn and know what she was thinking, and he was comforted by what he saw. She now understood that she never had to be afraid of him. That he would always be there to protect her, at any cost.

Ash stroked her soft blue hair as he held her in his arms.

"Promise me that you'll never be afraid of me. No matter what happens, I want you to know that I will always be there to protect you." Ash whispered softly.

Without hesitation, Dawn nodded her head vigorously into his chest.

Dawn response was muffled, but was till audible "I promise. I trust you. I lo-"

She'd almost confessed right then and there. Dawn felt so secure, so safe in Ash's arms. But no matter how badly she wanted to tell him how she felt, she knew that telling him at the moment would only complicate things further for him, something he definitely didn't need right now; with all that was going on around him, he definitely didn't need this added to his plate.

Luckily for her, Ash either hadn't heard her almost say she loved him, or he simply chose to ignore it. She truly hopped it was the former. Either way, she was just happy to be with Ash in this moment.

After what felt like an eternity, the two released. Both faces were now devoid of tears and held large smiles.

"Come on, we better head back. We really need to try and get some sleep. We have a long journey ahead of us." Ash said calmly.

"You're right. But as long as I'm with you, I'm not scared at all. I know that you'll be there for me. And I'll always be there for you as well." Dawn responded sweetly, causing Ash to blush slightly and smile even wider.

Ash offered his hand to the blunette, to which she happily took. The two then started the short walk back to the lab.

As the two reached the door, Ash stopped just outside.

Dawn was still holding his hand when she looked back at Ash, wondering why he'd stopped.

"Go on ahead Dawn, I'm right behind you." Ash stated kindly.

Dawn was a little hesitant to let go of his hand at first, but eventually nodded and entered the lab.

Once Dawn was inside, Ash sighed as he held the door handle with his left hand. However, instead of opening the door and following Dawn inside, he turned his head and looked toward the sky once more.

To his delight, the clouds had cleared a bit, revealing to Ash a single star in the otherwise pitch black sky.

A toothless smile spread across his face as he saw it.

__"Just that one glimmer of hope, that's all I need."__Ash thought as he entered the lab, hoping to get some rest.

__"That one light in the darkness."__

* * *

Morning came quicker than anyone had hoped. Despite their confidence and trust in each other, the prospect of actually doing what they were planning on doing was terrifying for everyone.

To no one's surprise, Ash was the first awaken. However, instead of training this morning, he had another thing on his mind.

Carefully and quietly, he took care of his morning routine, well, as much as he could in a lab, and left through the back doors, with Pikachu following along as eagerly as he could.

Ash was currently headed to the ranch. Throughout all of the craziness of the previous day, he'd forgot to tell the all of the pokemon what had happened. Ash was sure that they must've heard the blast from the previous day, and he was sure that they were very curious as to what'd caused it and what was going on.

Ash hated the fact that he would have to speak of the events again, but he knew it was necessary. After all, his pokemon were a part of his family just as much as his mother was. They had a right to know. Plus, Ash knew he was going to need the help of all of his pokemon on this journey.

As he entered the ranch, a small smile grew on his face. All of his pokemon, even Snorlax, were already awake and preparing to train. It was no later than 6:30 in the morning, yet everyone was rearing and ready to go.

Lucario was the first to sense Ash's arrival, so she informed the others that their trainer was here. Letting out cries of happiness, all of his pokemon came rushing toward him.

Luckily for Ash, his pokemon had assumed he was coming today, so they spared him from another stampeding. However, that didn't stop his more affectionate pokemon from attempting to get in close to him.

Bayleef was in a dead sprint, a smile on her face as she rushed to her trainer. However, she halted immediately when she saw the distressed look on his face. It was easy to tell that something was wrong, so Bayleef decided to take it slow.

Ash, along with all of the other pokemon, noticed Bayleef's strange behavior and wondered what was wrong. Their questions were answered when the rest of the pokemon saw Ash's expression.

They all recalled hearing the explosion the previous day, but were forced to think it to be nothing as they had no way of finding out what it actually was. Now however, a few of Ash's pokemon were beginning to think something may have happened to their trainer and his friends.

Ash took a long, drawn out breath before addressing everyone, "Hey guys! How's everyone doing?"

Ash tried to show excitement and happiness, but he knew he'd failed when he got no response from anyone. He saw the worried expressions on all of his Pokémon's faces and knew that there was no point in trying to hide anything.

He sighed, "You guys know me too well. I'm sure you all want to know what's wrong, huh?"

Receiving a number of head nods, Ash continued, "It's a long story, but it's one that you should know."

Ash sat down and crossed his legs, getting as comfortable as he could before he began telling the painful story.

He left nothing out, recalling every little detail from what had happened the previous day. It was easy as the events of that day would be forever burned into his mind.

The shocked and sad faces of his pokemon friends were almost too much for Ash to handle, but he wanted to stay strong for his friends, pokemon and human alike.

He sighed before concluding his story, "And that's that. We'll be leaving in just a few hours. I'm telling you all this not only because you are my family and have a right to know, but also because I'm going to need your help, all of you. I need a team that's going to help me get my mom back and protect my friends from any danger we may face."

Ash was going to continue, but was stopped when his pokemon all stepped closer to him, each looking confident. It was obvious that all of his pokemon wanted to help, no exceptions.

All Ash could do was smile warmly. He should've known that all of his pokemon would want to come with him and help with the situation. It warmed his heart to see how much they cared. He truly did have the best pokemon in the world

"I know that you all want to help, and I couldn't be more thankful for that. I'm going to take a team of six, but I need all of you to be ready whenever I may call on you. If this is going to be as challenging as I think it will be, I'm going to need all of your help. Are you with me?" Ash finished with his fist raised in the air, and a confident smile on his face.

Even though it was still very early, and Ash would probably be scolded for waking up half of Pallet Town, he loved just how loud and enthusiastic his Pokémon's cries were. It really showed how close they were to their trainer.

"Thanks, everyone. But you all need to understand that this is not going to be like anything we have ever experienced before. The danger is very real, lives are on the line. We need to be extremely careful. As I said, Team Rocket is planning on me coming after them and they're most definitely waiting there to kill me, but we have no choice but to go after my mom. And even though it won't be easy, I know that with everyone's help, we'll make it out alright!" Ash said enthusiastically.

Even though everyone was already fired up, Ash thought that a little speech would raise their spirits even higher. Something that would be desperately needed as the journey went on.

Ash was contently looking at his pokemon, deciding on who to take with him when he heard a loud, familiar voice.

"ASH KETCHUM! YOU WOKE EVERYONE UP, YOU IDIOT! YOU ARE SO GOING TO GET IT!" Ash gulped in fear as he turned and saw the person he was expecting to see.

Misty.

Misty was surrounded by the others, each of them appearing to be tired.

Misty stormed out in front of the group until she was in Ash's face. All the raven haired trainer could do was sweat and wait to see what his punishment would be.

Hoping to cool Misty down, Ash put his hands up in defense. "I'm sorry! I was just trying to hype up my pokemon for the journey. Please forgive me!"

Much to Ash's surprise and delight, the anger melted away from Misty's face and turned into a sweet, understanding smile.

Ash smiled back in response, glad to have defused the situation. __"Wow, it seems like Misty really has chang-"__

*****_Smack*_

Out of seemingly nowhere, Misty pulled out her familiar mallet and whacked Ash on the head with it, sending him crashing to the ground.

"You still have that thing I see…" Ash said, sounding dazed.

Misty scoffed, "You're such and idiot!'

"But you're our idiot." Misty finished by approaching Ash and pulling off his hat before ruffling his hair with an innocent smile. Again, Ash was confused.

__"How do girls change their emotions so quickly? And where does she even keep that thing? I mean, it's huge!" __Ash thought to himself. He was tempted to ask, but decided not to push his luck.

Regaining his composure, Ash stood and watched as Misty walked back to the group that was huddled by the door.

"Uh…don't you think that was a bit much?" Serena asked the redhead, feeling bad for the man she loved. Even though he woke everyone up, she knew he hadn't done it on purpose.

Serena, along with May and Max, were a little mad at Misty for what she'd done, especially given everything Ash was going through. That being said, they weren't going to hold it against her and Ash was clearly okay.

"Nah, Ash is pretty thick headed. He'll be fine." Misty said, walking through the doors and reentering the lab.

Everyone but Ash giggled at Misty's words. Ash was obviously thick headed not only physically, but mentally as well. Ash chuckled and shook his head before addressing the rest of his friends.

"You guys should get some more sleep before we have to leave." Ash said to his friends. Everyone happily complied to his request and returned to the lab.

However, May stayed behind and addressed Ash, "What about you? Don't you think you should get some more sleep as well?"

Ash shook his head with a smile gracing his features, "Nah, I'm fine. I got plenty of sleep last night. You go on ahead."

May was hesitant at first, but eventually shrugged and headed inside, knowing she wouldn't be able to change Ash's mind.

Ash let out a long yawn once she was out of sight. Truth was, he was tired. He'd barely slept more than a wink the previous night.

He couldn't.

Too much on his mind.

* * *

Ash thought long and hard about who he was going to take with him to start. Pikachu was his obvious first choice, but that still left five spots open.

Although some of his pokemon were noticeably stronger than others, Ash had faith in each and every one of them to be able to do what he needed them to given any situation. Each of his pokemon had strengths that could definitely help him out during the journey.

After thinking hard, Ash came to a decision. After all, it wasn't like he couldn't switch out pokemon if he wanted to; he planned on doing this anyway, depending on how long this journey would take.

He decided to bring along two of his heaviest hitters in Garchomp and Charizard, as well as some speed in Lucario and Sceptile. That still left one spot open.

He was subconsciously bringing the pokemon he considered his strongest in the most categories for his start. After all, he had no idea how tough this was going to be, and you know what they say, it's better to be over prepared than under.

He gave all of his pokemon another once over and tried to think of who could help him the most. His eyes stopped on his flying-type pokemon. They were all there, Swellow, Noctowel, Staraptor, Unfezant, and…

That's when Ash realized who he wanted to bring, who would round out this all star team. He knew exactly who he was going to take as his last pokemon. But to do so, he would have to take a quick trip to route 1…

__Route 1__

Ash and Pikachu hadn't been walking long, only about 10 minutes or so, when he reached a familiar clearing. He glanced around, hoping to spot his old friend.

"Any sign of her, buddy?" Ash asked the yellow rodent, who was scurrying down by his feet.

Pikachu took another couple of seconds to gaze at the tree line before he turned to face Ash and shook his head.

Ash began searching again, a slightly worried expression on his face.

He didn't want to admit it, but Ash was nervous about seeing this pokemon again. He'd promised to come back for her someday, and that had been eight years ago.

That's not saying that Ash didn't try to get her back, it just always seemed when he would come back for her, she couldn't be found. He would always just miss her, it seemed.

Ash sighed, desperately hoping that his old pokemon would show herself.

Ash took a deep breath before yelling as loud as he could, his hands cupped around his mouth, "PIDGEOT!"

Ash had yelled her name so long and loud, that he was gasping for breath when he finished.

He silently prayed to Arceus that Pidgeot would show herself. That she was around.

That she was still willing to see him.

Ash and Pikachu waited patiently for 5 minutes with no sign of Pidgeot. As time past, Ash was becoming more and more discouraged.

Noticing this, Pikachu jumped in front of the now seated Ash and put on a huge, reassuring smile. Pikachu discovered just how upset Ash was when his cheeky smile had no effect on his trainer.

Ash had rationalized that Pidgeot most likely didn't want to see him anymore. Not that he blamed her. He did leave her for eight years...

Taking one more look at the tree line, Ash stood to his feet, dropped his head and began walking back to Pallet. Pikachu attempted to grab his pant leg to stop him, but Ash refused to stop. He'd officially given up.

The idea that one of his old friends didn't seem to want to see him anymore hit him hard, and he went as far as to let a few rouge tears fall from his eyes.

Pikachu and Ash were nearly at the end of route 1, but were halted before they make it.

"Pidgeot!" A loud voice cried from above. Just moments after, the owner of said voice landed directly in front of Ash and Pikachu, stopping them in their tracks.

Both Ash and Pikachu's eyes went wide as they recognized the large, powerful looking bird pokemon. Even though Pikachu'd tried to stay positive, he was feeling a bit down that Pidgeot didn't come as well, so seeing her here was a shock to him, as well as Ash.

"Pidgeot…" Ash whispered. They were locked in an intense staring match until a huge smile broke out on Ash's face.

"Pidgeot!" Ash screamed as he ran and hugged the bird with all he had.

"Pidgeot, I'm so sorry! I'm sorry that we haven't seen each other for so long! I tried coming to find you a few years ago, but you were nowhere to be found! Oh Pidgeot, I'm so sorry, can you ever forgive me?" Ash looked Pidgeot in the eyes when he finished, hoping to get a read on the bird.

What he saw brought a smile to his face. Pidgeot was smiling wide and it showed in her eyes. Ash then enveloped the pokemon in another bone-crushing hug.

Now that the two friends had been reunited, Ash knew that he had to get down to business. He backed away from Pidgeot and turned serious.

"Pidgeot, there's something I need to tell you."

__15 minutes later__

"...and now, we're going after her. We don't really have a choice. Listen, I know that you have another life out here with the flock and all, but I would really love it if you came back as my pokemon and accompanied me on this journey."

"I do feel that I should tell you though before you make a decision, there is no telling what might happen. Team rocket is wants to kill me and anyone with me is in danger as well. I want you to do what you want to do so please, don't feel pressured." Ash finished with a sincere smile, taking out Pidgeot's old ball from his belt and enlarging it.

Pidgeot was conflicted to say the least. She desperately wanted to be with Ash, especially in a time like this, but she also didn't want to leave her flock. That was understanding as these pokemon had been her family for the past eight years; most of them she protected as if they were her own children.

Seeing the conflicted look on Pidgeot's face, Ash began to feel bad for even asking. He was putting a lot of pressure on her, and he knew it. He let his own selfish desire to have Pidgeot back blind him to how Pidgeot may feel.

As was prepared to speak, to apologize, when a plethora of Pidgeot, Pidgeotto, and Pidgys all started descending from the sky and landing in the clearing around Pidgeot, Ash and Pikachu.

"What is this?" Ash asked himself. He was slightly worried at first, but when he saw the look of familiarity of his own Pidgeot's face, he knew it must be her flock.

"Pidg, Pidgeot!" One of the Pidgeot said.

"Pidgeot. Pidg Pidge." Ash's Pidgeot responded.

This back and forth went on for a while, with other Pidgeot and Pidgeotto joining in as well. Ash had no idea what they were saying, but Pikachu did.

"Pika pika chu!" Pikachu added in. He was obviously talking to Ash's Pidgeot and it was at this point that Ash got an idea of what they were talking about.

__"They're trying to tell her to come with me...That they'll be fine on their own."__Ash rationalized to himself. He didn't want to interrupt, so all he did was smile at his old friend.

Pidgeot was listening closely to what each pokemon had to say, and all were along the lines of 'go with him.', 'we know you want to, and it's okay!' and _'you made us strong, we can protect ourselves now'_.

Pidgeot took one last look at his flock and gave them a grateful smile before she approached Ash. They were soon face to face and before Ash could say anything, Pidgeot pecked the center of his pokeball. Pidgeot was engulfed in a red beam of energy. The ball didn't even shake once during the recapture.

Pidgeot was once again Ash's pokemon.

Ash brought the pokeball close to his face and smiled softly, elated that he'd been reunited with one of his first pokemon, "Welcome back, girl."

Ash then turned his attention to the rest of the flock, "Thank you all so much for being with her all this time. And thank you for letting her come back with me, it means more than you know. I promise to make sure Pidgeot can come and visit every once in a while." Ash finished sincerely. He was truly grateful to the flock for allowing him to recapture their 'leader'.

They all knew how much Pidgeot had missed her trainer over the years as Pidgeot would often share stories of her time with Ash. Sometimes when they would come across a random trainer, they would catch Pidgeot staring at them longingly, clearly desiring to be Ash's pokemon once again.

It was painfully obvious to everyone in the flock that while Pidgeot was happy with them, he'd never be as happy as he was with Ash. That's where he was meant to be, with Ash. And after all they'd heard about the young trainer, each member of the flock held a tremendous amount of respect for him.

The largest Pidgeot, being even slightly larger than Ash's, took a step towards the man. The two locked eyes and simply stared for a few moments, until the large Pidgeot bowed his head in respect. The others behind him all did the same, causing Ash to smile and thank them once again. It was just moments later that the new leader took to the skies, followed right after by the rest of the flock.

Both Ash and Pikachu watched the flying pokemon until they were out of sight. Still looking at the morning sky, Ash spoke, "That's why I love pokemon. There's nothing in this word more pure. Come on buddy, we better get back to the lab, we need to prepare if we are gonna leave in a few hours."

With their mission being successful, both Pikachu and Ash took off running back towards Pallet Town

* * *

It was now 10 A.M, and each person in the lab was now awake and preparing for their journey. Since the Ketchum household was burned to the ground, a lot of everyone's things were destroyed as well. But luckily, Professor Oak had a lot of the essentials laying around his lab, and he was more than willing to part with them.

Ash looked around, watching all of his friends gather the things they would need, preparing for the long journey ahead, Ash couldn't help but smile softly. His friends were willing to go to the ends of the Earth for him, just as he would for them, and that meant everything to the raven haired trainer. He truly had the best friends in the world.

"Guys, thanks again for helping me. I really wasn't sure how I was going to do this alone." Ash said out of the blue, really wanting to cement in his friends mind just how much he appreciated them.

"Ash, we've been over this before, you don't have to thank us. We're doing this because we want to help you, not because we feel obligated to." Brock responded. kindly

"We're always going to be there for you...just like you always have been for us." May added, smiling sentimentally to herself.

"Yeah Ketchum, you know we've got your back." Paul said, smirking slightly.

All of these comments reassured Ash that his friendship with each and every person in that room was as deep as could be, but they also served to inject more worry into him. They were going to help him through this, no matter what the cost.

No matter what the cost.

That's what scared him.

But he knew that he would never be able to convince his friends to let him go alone, he'd already tried that. Plus, Ash had no idea how he'd be able to tackle this mission by himself. With this in mind, Ash once again promised himself that he would protect those he cared about with his life.

Taking a deep breath, he finished packing everything he thought he would need in his backpack and threw it over his shoulders.

"Is everyone ready?" Ash asked, feeling slightly anxious that they were about to leave on what would be the most important journey of their lives.

"Just about." Serena responded. "Dawn's just finishing up and she's the last one not done."

"No need to worry! I just finished! We're good to go." Dawn stated in her normal, bubbly tone.

"James, Meowth, you guys good?" Ash questioned.

Meowth smiled and stuck out his paw, trying to show a thumbs up pose, "You bet, pal!"

Just as Meowth finished speaking, Professor Oak entered the room, with Tracey following close behind.

"Alright, is everyone ready to go?" Oak asked, to which he received a multitude of head nods.

It was just then when Max noticed the backpack draped over Tracey's shoulders, which he knew could only mean one thing.

"Tracey, are you coming with us?" Max quizzed, to which Tracey nodded. Everyone else eventually noticed that Tracey was 'travel ready' as well.

"Of course! I can't just sit back and do nothing when my friends need my help. I know I'm just a pokemon watcher and researcher in training, but I think that I can contribute to the effort!" Tracey finished confidently, having decided to tag along the night before.

Ash had done a lot for him, including getting him his job with Professor Oak. Tracey owed a lot to the young man and he wanted to help him in any way he could.

Ash approached the man and put a hand on his shoulder, "It's great to have you, Tracey. Thank you."

Tracey smiled and went over to join the rest of the group, leaving Oak the only one standing in front of everyone.

"Professor, are you sure you'll be okay here by yourself?" Brock asked out of concern for the older man's well being.

Oak let out a hearty laugh, "Of course, my boy. I'll be fine. But I'll be even better when you all return home." The older man then turned his attention to Ash once again. "Oh, and Ash my boy, this is for you."

Oak handed Ash something that vaguely resembled the original pokedex, but was black in color. "This, is the latest invention from the Silph Company, before they were taken over of course. It hasn't even been announced yet, let alone released. It works like a portable video phone! However, it is only programed to call me at the moment, as it is still in its infantile stages."

"Wow, that's incredible, professor! I wonder why no one thought of this sooner. But, how did you get one of these if they're not even released to the public?" Ash inquired, marveling over the new technology in his hand.

Oak grinned at Ash's question, "Well, a few select professors got some early copies to see if they could better the product. Although we are professors of pokemon, many of us are also very adept with electronics."

"Wow, that is so cool! When we get back, I totally want to see how they work!" Max exclaimed, as May face palmed. It was just like her brother to get so excited over something so nerdy.

Ash placed the device in his jacket pocket and turned to address the group, "Well, if we have everything, we better get going. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can save my mom and get back home!"

A series of enthusiastic 'Yeah's' and 'let's do it's' came from the group of friends as they said their goodbyes to the professor and walked out the doors to the lab.

As they walked down the road, each of them were thinking the same thing.

__"Whatever happens, I have a feeling that our lives are going to change forever."__

* * *

__One of Team Rocket's Headquarters__

Jessie was walking through the upper floors of the building, a select destination in mind. She soon found herself where she wanted to be. She knocked on the large oak door and entered the Giovanni's office, not bothering to wait for a response.

Immediately as she entered, Giovanni took notice of Jessie from behind his desk. "Ah, Jessie. What a pleasant surprise. What can I help you with."

After her initial successes in their current plan, Giovanni had come to like Jessie's work ethic and determination, something he thought was overshadowed by the stupidity of James and Meowth.

"Well sir, I was just curious as to why you're sending so many field agents out. I mean, by dispersing them the way you are, it will be like a trail that will lead Ketchum right to us. I understand that is your plan, but I've heard that you gave them all clearance to use deadly force. A reward for doing so even. I guess what I'm trying to ask is why? I thought you wanted to take care of the twerp yourself." Jessie was confused as to the man's logic, but the look on Giovanni's face told her that he was doing exactly what he wanted to be doing.

"I would very much enjoy eliminating Ash myself, but where would be the fun in just letting him find us without a little challenge?" Giovanni said with a chilling grin.

"But what if he is killed before he can find this place?" Jessie inquired.

Giovanni shrugged, "Then so be it. It would be a bit unfortunate, but as long as Ketchum dies, I couldn't care less. I'm really just doing all of this to have a bit of fun. As long as Ketchum dies, then the plan will have been a success." Giovanni paused and locked eyes with Jessie, "Plus, I think you should give Mr. Ketchum a bit of credit. He's much stronger than you think and I truly believe that he will make it here in one piece, so I can take care of him myself. But for now, we wait and see what happens. Now if you'd excuse me, I'm going to go have a bit of 'fun' with our new guest."

With a sinister smile that spooked even Jessie, Giovanni took his leave. Leaving Jessie alone in the magnificent office. She thought over Giovanni's plan, how wicked and cruel it was...

...all she could do was smirk.

****A/N: Well there you have it! There's chapter 9. Next chapter, the action really starts! Oh and by the way, I should probably mention that this story will include death and dark themes. There is a chance that any character, main or not, can die in this fic. Anyways, you won't have to wait so long for the next chapter, I promise. And wow, I just realized how long this story is going to be. We're probably talking close to 300,000-400,000 words in the end. Make sure to vote in the poll on my profile for who you want Ash to chose and don't forget to leave me Anime suggestions that involve romance, harems, and FEELS! Thanks for reading, see ya!****


	10. New People and New Problems

A Trial of Will

* * *

"Believe in finding your purpose in life and doing whatever it takes to fulfill it."

-Unknown

* * *

"Hey guys? Um, this may be a stupid question but...does anyone know where we're going...? Brock?" May asked, causing everyone to sweat drop.

After traveling for a few hours, the gang finally entered the forest that separated Pallet From Viridian. So far, nothing had interfered with their journey, something they hoped would continue. Though, Misty was silently cursing the fact that there were _two _large forests that could potentially become a part of their journey.

"Actually no, I was just following everyone else." Brock said innocently.

"Brock! Aren't you supposed to be the responsible one!? How could you let us leave without even knowing where we were going!?" Paul yelled at the doctor.

Brock put a hand behind his head and smiled innocently, "Hehe... with all that was going on, I guess I just kind of forgot."

Although Paul was still a little agitated, it was hard to argue with Brock's excuse. After everything that had happened, Paul's head wasn't totally straight either.

"Well, going through this forest is the only way out of Pallet anyway, unless you want to go south. So no matter where we're going, we would've had to come this way anyway." Ash reminded Paul.

"That may be true, but now we're about to enter the forest. We shouldn't go another step before deciding where we are going because if we don't, we're going to be wandering around blind." Paul said firmly.

"We've been walking for a while anyway, I wouldn't mind stopping for a bit. While we're resting, we can also figure out where our destination should. Maybe get some lunch too." May suggested. She tried to sound chipper, but the fatigue she felt after walking for nearly three hours was evident in her voice.

"I second that." Dawn said, not bothering to try and hide how tired she was.

"Come on guys, we have to keep going! We haven't even entered the forest yet. We have to get as far as we possibly can today!" Ash exclaimed.

"It's your fault we're tired anyway! If you wouldn't have sprinted the first two miles, then maybe we all wouldn't be so tired!" Misty yelled back.

Misty looked as if she was ready to explode, and Ash was looking no better. Not wanting to see that happen, Serena placed herself in between the two.

"Ash, we need to rest for a while. Everyone's tired and hungry after that long walk. We have to keep our strength up." Serena reasoned.

Ash looked around at the tired faces of his friends, and sighed in a mixture of defeat and guilt.

"I'm sorry you guys, I know I pushed too hard and I'm sorry. I'm just really anxious. I feel that if I don't get to my mom as soon as possible, something terrible is going to happen. But you're right, we have to keep our strength up. There's no telling what we might face." Ash finished, taking a seat on a nearby stump, just off the path leading into the forest.

Both May and Misty looked guilty themselves. They didn't know if it was their subconscious pushing it from their minds, or if they simply chose to ignore it, but neither seemed to remember the severity this journey entailed.

"You don't have to apologize Ash. After all, this is the most important journey you, or any of us have ever been on. You just want to help someone you love as quickly as possible... just like always." May finished with a smile, which infectiously found its way to Ash's face as well.

"I'm sorry for screaming at you Ash. I guess I pushed the severity of the situation out of my mind because I was scared. It's just so much easier to treat this like it's just another journey. Collecting badges, training pokemon, all the stuff we did before." Misty said.

At this point, everyone had either found a seat on the ground or another stump to sit on as Brock began laying down the base for a fire.

Dawn gave a light laugh, "Yeah, on our way here it did kind of feel like I was just on another adventure with you guys. Despite the circumstances, I'm really glad that we get to travel together again. I really wish I would have never stopped traveling with you in the first place, Ash."

Ash couldn't help but let his smile grow. Having the support of all his friends during such a trying time was an incredible feeling. He was about to speak, but he was beaten to the punch by May.

"Ever since I left for Johto after the Battle Frontier, I regretted leaving your side. From that time on, something was always missing. Winning a contest didn't give me the same joy as when you were there. And losing was so much harder without you to cheer me up. Instead, all I had were people like Drew and Harley who would constantly put me down. That year, I didn't even make it to the Grand Festival... coordinating just didn't give me the same joy."

May paused to take a breath.

"But after Johto, I finally got my spark back. That only happened because of this," May said, pulling out the necklace that held the terracotta ribbon from under her blouse, "With this, it felt as if you were actually there with me, something, it turns, out I desperately need. I guess what I'm trying to say is...this time, I'm not going to leave your side."

"Seems like the only person who had enough sense not to leave was Serena. She's been with Ash ever since they first met up." Paul added, sounding somewhat smug. Although he loved to tease her, Paul decided to help gain her a few points with Ash. She was still a friend to him, after all.

"You're right, she hasn't." Ash spoke softly with a warm smile as he glanced at Serena, who in turn blushed and quickly looked away.

"Well you guys, I'm glad to have you all back by my side. Even though our paths took us in different directions before, I'm more than happy that we're all together again." Ash added sweetly, making sure he looked to each of his past companions.

Ash's words couldn't have been more true. Even though he'd always held his head high, he was always deeply saddened when one of his friends would go their own way. When they left, they would take a part of him with them, a part that could only be filled by their presence. So, despite the circumstances, having everybody back again was an amazing feeling.

"I hate to break up this sentimental moment, but the stew is almost ready." Brock said cheerfully. During that whole conversation, Brock and Max had been working hard starting the fire and beginning to cook the stew, a deed that was greatly appreciated by everyone.

One glance at the stew was all it took for May and Ash to begin drooling. May was starving and Ash was as well, he just hadn't realized it as his one track mind was fully concentrated on the goal at hand.

"Is that..." May started.

"Brock's no-chew stew?" Ash finished, growing happier with each word.

Brock smiled and gave a thumbs up, "Yep, it sure is. It's a great meal, especially for trave-"

Brock was interrupted by Ash and May diving for the stew and placing massive servings into their bowls.

Brock saw the crazy look in their eyes, so he stayed back. Although, he felt he should warn them about something, "Be careful, it's going to be-"

"HOT!"

* * *

About an hour later, everyone had finished their lunch and felt well-rested enough to continue their travels.

All were ready to leave. All but two.

"Come on guys, hurry up. I want to get through the forest before nightfall!" Paul yelled angrily.

"Yeah, and we have to make it to Saffron as quickly as possible, remember?" James reminded the duo.

During lunch, it was decided that the first destination would be Saffron City. It seemed to be the best place to aim for as the Silph Co. had just recently been taken over by Team Rocket, meaning there was a chance that Delia could be there. Also, the towns the would pass through along the way such as Pewter and Vermilion would be looked into as well.

Both Ash and May were currently holding ice cubes on their tongues, courtesy of Glaceon, who was currently standing beside Pikachu. Pikachu was still laughing at his trainer for being so rash.

"Thanks Glaceon. You're the best," is what May was trying to say, but with the large ice cube covering her tongue, it was very difficult to make out her words.

Glaceon must have assumed it was some sort of thanks as she bowed her head and smiled at her trainer.

"You both have been holding ice on your mouth for nearly 20 minutes now. We need to get going. Ash, you were the one who didn't want to stop in the first place!" Misty exclaimed.

Ash let his mind wander from his injured tongue and back to the task at hand. Realizing that Misty was right, he stood up. Rather than trying to respond and sounding ridiculous like May had, he opted to just nod his head.

Soon after Ash stood, May did as well. Finally removing the ice from their mouth's, Ash spoke, "Well gys, lepth's get goin!"

Everyone burst out laughing as Ash spoke. He sounded even worse than May had when she still had the ice in her mouth. Ash learned the hard way that his tongue was completely numb. And talking without a tongue turned out to be pretty damn hard.

After the laughing died down, Brock approached both Ash and May, giving them both some lukewarm water to warm up their mouths to the point where they would be able to speak clearly once again.

"Better?" Brock inquired.

"Better!" Both Ash and May responded at the same time, finally sounding like themselves again. They looked to each other after they spoke, sharing a smile over speaking at the same time.

This must have gone on for longer than they intended because Misty got impatient, "Would you two stop staring at each other so we can get a move on? I swear if we are in this forest at nightfall, someone's going to feel my wrath!"

Misty's threat seemed to go unnoticed by the two as their only focus was their current embarrassment. Both were blushing bright red. Wanting to escape the situation, Ash ran ahead of the group as to lead them into the forest.

"Come on guys, I know this forest like the back of my hand!" Ash yelled cheerfully.

Ash then confidently began his march into the darkness.

Everyone else looked at each other, knowing full well that Ash's sense of direction was mediocre at best. Attempting to show a little confidence in his friend, Brock took off after him. He was then followed by the rest of the group into what would be their darkest time in that forest yet.

__10 minutes later__

Ash hit his knees, all the confidence he previously felt vanishing. All he could do was watch his surroundings with disbelief. How could something like this have happened? That was a question that he did not have the answer to. Ash did know one thing though.

He was lost.

"Guys I'm sorry. I've always been lousy at directions and I shouldn't have gotten so ahead of myself. Now we're lost and have no idea where we are." Ash sulked.

"Hey don't worry about it Ash, that's why we have Brock with us!" Paul said.

"Is that all I am to you? Your 'tour guide?'" Brock responded, half-joking.

"Of course not..." Paul said seriously, causing Brock to smile. "You're our chef as well."

Brock sweat dropped as Paul finished his sentence, causing everyone to giggle.

Brock recovered quickly and pulled a map from his backpack, "I'm fairly sure that I know where we are, so leave the directions to me!"

Ash finally regained his hopeful outlook and was ready to follow Brock's lead. At this time however, the others were starting to feel a bit nervous. In a few hours, night would come, leaving them shrouded in darkness in a very dangerous part of Kanto.

Seeing that uneasiness, Brock took it upon himself to comfort everyone, "Don't worry you guys, I know my way around here pretty well. I'll have us out by nighttime, no problem!"

Brock's reassuring words granted the group some level of comfort, but a hint of uneasiness still remained.

Without another word, the gang began following Brock's lead. They were very fortunate to not have run into any swarms of Beedrill, as it was widely known that they were both common here and very deadly.

Although most pokemon were very docile unless provoked, species such as Beedrill and Spearow have been known to attack while unprovoked, causing a number of deaths over the years.

As they continued walking along, May was striking up a conversation with Ash while Dawn and Serena followed close behind, looking for any opportunity to jump in.

"...Yeah, and then we got chased out of here by a huge swarm of Beedrill." May explained to Ash, who went wide eyed.

"Thank God you two got out okay. I've heard too many stories about wild Beedrill..." Ash said, shaking his head.

Not seeing any point where she could easily jump into the conversation, Serena decided to take in the beauty of the forest that surrounded her. The last time she had been in here wasn't too long ago, as they had just recently journeyed through Kanto. However, she never really got the chance to take in the allure of the place. Let's just say the last time she was here, there was a lot of running and screaming.

Although at first Serena wasn't exactly fond of forests, it was in one that she first met Ash. And that turned out to have been one of the most important moments of her life. She let a smile spread across her face as she recalled found memories of the past.

However, she was snapped out of her daydream when she heard what sounded like a twig break somewhere to her left, deeper in the forest.

Although it was most likely just a Rattata or another small, harmless pokemon, this still made Serena uneasy. Deciding it was better to be safe than sorry, she voiced her concern.

"Hey guys, I just heard a noise coming from over there." Serena pointed to where she heard the twig snap. "It's probably nothing but given the circumstances, I thought it would be better if I said something."

"It's definitely better you said something. Thanks Serena." Ash commended her happily, not thinking much of the noise that he himself had not even heard.

"Just to be sure, everybody stand still and keep quiet. Let's see if we can hear anything." James suggested, to which everyone complied.

They stood in absolute silence for just a couple of minutes without hearing a sound.

"Well, whatever it was that you heard, it was probably heading in the other direction, because I can't hear anything." Paul said.

Honestly, he thought it would have been strange had no one heard anything during their entire time in the forest. After all, this place was a home to many species of pokemon.

"You're probably right, let's just keep going." Serena stated, still feeling a bit uneasy. However, she just chalked that feeling up to being tired and in a not so safe area.

With that, the gang continued forward.

As the gang continued to walk, the sound of snapping branches begun again and this time, everyone heard it.

"I hear it." Ash announced, getting a series of head nods, suggesting the others heard as well.

"Come on guys, you know that it's probably nothing. I would really like to continue moving so we can get out of this damn forest." Paul said a bit angrily.

"But Paul, what if its something bad?" Dawn asked, fear evident in her voice.

"We didn't hear it when we stopped, but as soon as we started walking again, it came back. I don't like what that could mean..." Ash trailed off.

"You think whatever that is could be following us?" Brock asked his longtime friend, interpreting what he was saying. He got a serious look in response from Ash.

"I'm getting sick of this. You know what? I'm going to figure out exactly what's going on right now." Paul's anger and frustration were seeping through his tone. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he faced where the noise had originated. "Hey! Who ever or whatever is out there, show yourself before we sick our pokemon on you!"

Immediately after Paul's threat, the sound of crunching footsteps could be heard rushing toward their current position. Bracing themselves for whatever could come out of the tree line, everyone had a hand on their pokeballs and Pikachu's cheeks were sparking in anticipation.

Ash was going to stand in front of the group to try and protect them as best he could, but when he saw their determined faces, he remembered that they were all very capable trainers that didn't always need saving. He understood that, at least at this time, they could protect themselves.

With each person hovering their hands over their most trusted pokemon's ball, the footsteps grew closer until finally, something emerged from the treeline.

A slightly chubby man dressed in casual traveling gear emerged with his hands up in defense. He looked to be in his late 30's and wore a pair of thick glasses.

Everyone relaxed when they saw his appearance. Judging by his looks, he was not a threat. He looked absolutely terrified at the prospect of being attcked.

Paul stepped up in front of the group, his face harsh, as he yelled, "Who the hell are you and why were you following us?!"

The man flinched at Paul's harsh tone and stuttered for a while before finally finding his voice, "M-My name is Thomas! I-I was just traveling through the forest when I saw you all. I recognized you two, you're Paul and Ash from the Kanto league finals this year! I'm a huge fan of the both of you! And Pikachu! You are the all time coolest pokemon!"

"Pika Pi Pikachu" Pikachu said in embarrassment, all the while rubbing the back of his head.

The man, now known as Thomas, let the fear fade from his face; It was replaced by complete excitement.

Thomas then turned his attention to May and Dawn, "And you two! You are two of the best coordinators around right now! I can't believe I'm actually getting to meet you!"

Finally, he looked toward Max, "And you're Max Maple. I've been following your career since you started! I knew that with who your father is that you were destined for great things. I know you'll make it big someday."

Unlike the others, this was Max's first time being recognized by a fan. To him, this was an incredible moment in his young career. No matter how poorly he did in his previous leagues, he actually felt as if he'd accomplished something when a complete stranger praised him.

Thomas took a step towards the group, but was cut off by Paul and Ash.

"Well that's all well and good, but then explain to me why you were following us." Ash said coldly.

"And why were you trying to be all sneaky and hide yourself?' Paul spat. However, their cold tones seemed to go unnoticed by Thomas who continued to smile brightly.

He apparently did catch what they were asking though as he put his hand behind his head in embarrassment and giggled nervously.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't mean to make you all uneasy. Truth is, I was just super nervous to meet all of you. I mean, you all like, my idols. I was just trying to work up the nerve to show myself. That's the reason I was following you and trying to be sneaky, which obviously didn't work." Thomas finished with a laugh that was met with forced chuckles from everyone.

Everyone but Paul.

"Well Thomas, you don't have to be nervous to meet us. Honestly, we're just like everyone else." May spoke happily. Having fans praise her really boosted her ego. Dawn was feeling a similar way.

"Thanks, it's really great to meet you all. I'm a huge fan of all of you." Thomas stated

"Yeah, well, it was nice to meet you Thomas, but we really have to be going now. We really don't want to be in the forest by the time night comes." Brock said.

"Oh, okay but, um...do you think I could tag along, maybe? Just until we get out of the forest. You see, I'm kind of lost" Thomas finished while twiddling his thumbs.

During the entire meeting, Paul never let up his glare on Thomas. He wasn't sure why, but he really just couldn't stand this guy, yet he had no real reason too.

"I don't see why not. What do you say guys?" Max asked. He received various head nods and 'yeah's' in return. Only James, Ash, Meowth and Paul looked hesitant. They were on a very sensitive mission here and having Thomas with them could definitely hinder things.

"Wow, thanks a lot you guys! You just saved me from being stuck in here forever." Thomas announced, obviously relieved.

"Not a problem. I think you and Ash have something in common, and that's a horrible sense of direction." Max joked, earning laughs from the group. All except Paul, Ash, Meowth and James who only let out cold, forced laughs.

The four seemed to be the only ones concerned that this guy could possibly hinder their progress through the forest. However, Ash, always being a nice guy, was willing to give anyone a chance. With this in mind, he told himself that he would be friendly with the guy. However, the same couldn't be said for Meowth, James or Paul.

With that, the gang resumed walking, following and trusting Brock to lead them out of the greenery.

"So, what brings you guys up this way?" Thomas asked, hoping to up strike a conversation.

"None of your business!" Paul snapped, earning a slap to the back of his head by both Dawn and Serena.

"Paul, be nice!" Serena spoke motherly. Paul frowned and attempted to rub the pain from the back of his head.

Thomas looked a bit hurt, realizing that Paul didn't seem to like him. Ash also noticed that he seemed to still be looking for an answer to his question, something he wasn't exactly comfortable with giving out.

"Um, we're just going on nice, quiet vacation. After all, we've had a long couple of weeks." Ash said, hoping that he would buy his lie. Luckily for Ash, not only did Thomas seem to buy it, but his friends caught on to the fact that he didn't want the real answer to be let out.

"Oh yeah, definitely! Sounds awesome! So, we're are you guys going?" Thomas inquired.

"Saffron!" Both Ash and Brock yelled at the same time. They all gave a satisfied look to each other, thanking their lucky stars that they'd both picked the same place.

"Yeah, uh, we have some friends up there we want to visit." Dawn added.

Thomas seemed to accept the answer as they continued on.

Luckily for the group, the next 45 minutes of the walk was filled with pretty feeble conversation. However, after that 45 minute jaunt, Thomas was showing signs of heavy fatigue.

Noticing this, Brock spoke, "You going to be alright, Thomas?"

Catching his breath, Thomas glanced at the pokemon doctor, "Yeah, sorry. I was wondering around for hours before I saw you guys. I guess I'm just a little worn out. I hate to do this, but do you think we could stop for a few minutes. I think I see a big clearing up ahead which should serve us quite nicely."

"I don't know Thomas, we're kind of in a hurry." Serena said.

Thomas, who still hadn't regained his breath completely, fell to his knees and begged, "I know this is a burden, but I just need a little rest. Please!"

"Listen punk, you're lucky that we even let you come with u-" Paul was cut off by Max's hand.

"We'll stop for five minutes. I'm sure everyone could use a bit of a break." Max stated.

Paul was agitated, not only for having to stop, but also for being he cut off by Max. Ash and James were a bit hesitant as well, but decided that such a short break wouldn't hurt.

With most everyone on the same page, the group found its way to the large clearing that Thomas mentioned. It was a bit strange to see a place with no trees in such a dense grove, but the increased amount of sunlight that seeped through the coverless top was welcomed openly.

Thomas rushed ahead of the group and took a seat directly in the middle of the clearing. The rest of the group opted to stand somewhat near the man as they weren't all that tired.

"So Thomas, do you have any pokemon?" Max inquired.

"Of course! I have plenty, though I only have 5 with me at the moment. Do you want to see them?" Thomas asked in return.

"Sure!" Max exclaimed excitedly. It was a little unnerving that Max seemed to be getting so attached to this guy.

"Everyone, come on out!" Thomas yelled as he threw his five pokeballs, releasing his pokemon. He had a Nidoking, a Golbat, a Linoone, a Dodrio, and a powerful looking Aggron.

The second Thomas' pokemon were released, Pikachu grew angry. He wasted no time in glaring at each and every one of them, his cheeks sparking with powerful electricity.

"Pikachu, what's wrong?" Ash asked his partner. Though he had a pretty good feeling why his pokemon was acting this way; These pokemon were most likely giving off an aura that Pikachu did not like.

This theory was only confirmed as Lucario released herself from her ball and began glaring at the pokemon across from her, as well. At this point, Ash's alertness was heightened. He kept his cool however, as it could very well be that both Pikachu and Lucario sensed powerful opponents and wanted to battle them.

"Wow, those are some tough looking pokemon." Brock praised, ignoring the other pokemon.

"Thanks, I've been a pretty casual trainer for years now. I don't really ever go for tournaments or anything, I just enjoy bonding with my pokemon and occasionally battling." Thomas responded.

"That's respectable. I know, we should have a battle!" Max declared.

"Max, we don't have time for that. We have to be leaving very soon." Ash reminded the young boy.

Max put on a pouting face, "Come on Ash, it won't take long."

Ash was going to respond, but Thomas beat him to it. Standing up and placing a hand on Max's shoulder, he spoke, "Actually Max, I think Ash is right. I don't want to get us all stuck in here for the night. How about next time we meet?"

Max looked disappointed, but eventually nodded his head in agreement. While this was going on, Paul, James and Meowth all migrated to Ash's side away from the girls, Max and Thomas as they watched Lucario and Pikachu continue to growl at Thomas' pokemon.

James leaned in close and whispered in Ash's ear, "Ash, what's going on?"

Thomas took his hand of the boy's shoulder and turned to face the group of girls. He approached them slightly, a toothless smile spread across his face.

"Hey May, Dawn! We haven't really talked much since we've met. I'm just such a big fan, I thought you should know what I like so much about the both of you."

"I don't know, but I don't think I like it." Ash said loud enough for just James, Meowth and Paul to hear. "It' could be nothing, they probably just want to battle, but stay on your toes just in case."

May and Dawn were flattered by what Thomas was saying, while Misty and Serena looked as if they were about to puke. Whether it be out of Jealousy or something else, was unknown. Thomas made his way closer to the girls until they were only a few feet apart.

"I'm getting a really strange vibe too, Ash. I don't know what it is, but it doesn't feel good." Meowth added.

"May let's start with what I like the most about you, why I'm such a big fan..."

"I have never seen your pokemon act like this when they want to battle. Are you sure that could be why they're doing this?" Paul asked.

"I don't know Paul, I've never seen this either. I really don't think this is just because they want to battle." Ash responded nervously.

"...Well for starters, your combinations are incredible. But it was something else that really dragged me in..." Thomas' smile turned into a smirk.

"Then, are they...?" James started. Their eyes then scanned their way over to where the girls and Thomas were standing. Seeing him so close to them made the group of men nervous. If Ash's pokemon were acting like this towards Thomas', then what does that mean about the man behind the pokemon?

They had a hunch.

"...It was your beauty, so pure and innocent. I'll tell you what though, the TV sure doesn't do your curves justice, I mean wow!" Thomas finished, successfully creeping out not only May, but the others as well.

"And Dawn, your ass is just incredible. I just feel the need to give you a hug and a squeeze!" Thomas said this as he captured Dawn in a hug, to which she didn't return, and used both hands to squeeze her backside.

Letting out a cry, Dawn panicked, struggling to find a way out of Thomas' grip. May started hitting the man, but he seemed to be completely ignoring whatever pain she was inflicting.

Ash and the others watched the whole thing happen. Immediately, Ash sprinted as fast as he could over to the other.

"Get off of her you son of a bitch!" With all the power he could muster, he ripped Thomas away from Dawn and punched him as hard as he could in the face.

Thomas recoiled heavily as Ash shook the pain from his hand. He thought he had landed a solid punch, but right as he was about to check on Dawn, he heard what sounded like a...laugh?

Much to his surprise, Thomas slowly brought his head back up, laughing the whole way. Even though his nose was bloodied, he still held a sadistic grin on his face.

All anyone could do was look on in shock and horror as Thomas began to slow his laughter.

"Oh Ketchum... You hit like a pussy." With that, Thomas landed his own punch on Ash. Capitalizing on him being dazed, Thomas grabbed Ash around the neck, pulling a gun from his jacket and pointing it at his head, all in one swift motion.

Thomas quickly let his attention run to the others,"Reach for anything and I blow his brains out!"

Thomas' words froze everyone in their tracks.

Both Pikachu and Lucario witnessed what was happening to their trainer. The two were about to rush to his aid when all of Thomas' pokemon blocked their path. At that moment, they knew...

They were in for a fight.

"Ash!" Serena, May, Dawn, and Misty all screamed.

Luckily for them, Ash wasn't knocked unconscious from the hit he had taken, he was only slightly dazed.

"Thomas, why are you doing this? I thought you were our fan!" Max yelled, to which Thomas scoffed.

"Please, as if I would be a fan of the likes of you. I'm just doing this for a major payday. But I do mean what I said about you May and Dawn. Anytime you want, just come and find me. Blondey there can come too. We can all have a little fun together." Thomas stated, disgusting everyone present.

"Don-Don't talk to them like that." Ash struggled out. It was clear that he was still dazed from the hard hit he took.

"HA! Last time I checked, I was the one with the gun! And as the one with the gun, I get to make the rules here!" Thomas screamed.

Paul was moving his eyes frantically from place to place, mumbling to himself, "Major payday. That means..." Paul then locked eyes with the mad man. "You're part of Team Rocket, aren't you?... Answer me you bastard!"

"Oh, looks like we got a real Sherlock over here. Yeah, so what? Does it really make a difference at this point if I am or not?" Thomas asked Rhetorically.

"But we read the note! Giovanni said that he wanted Ash to himself. So why are you here with a gu-gun to his head?" May struggled to get the last words out of her mouth.

"I don't have to tell you anything, but I will say this. Giovanni doesn't give two shits if he's the one that kills him. He just wants Ketchum dead. End of story." Thomas spoke aggressively.

"So then why not just kill me now and let the others go?" Ash said, still sounding hazy.

"Ash!" Everyone yelled in horror.

Thomas laughed, "HAHA! Bold. I respect that. The reason is because if I kill you now, then what leverage do I have over your little friends not to come after me? That's why I'll have my pokemon take care of them before I end your pathetic life."

Everyone looked over to see Lucario and Pikachu struggling against five opponents. The worry was evident on everyone's faces. If only they could release another pokemon to go and help, but they couldn't dare to risk Ash's life like that.

However, that didn't stop an idea from springing into Meowth's mind. Although he doesn't always act like one, he was, in fact, still a pokemon. And even just one more pokemon could help even the playing field.

He patiently waited for an opportune moment to slip away undetected and help Pikachu and Lucario, which he found when Thomas forced everyone to put their pokeballs on the ground.

Pikachu had just taken a heavy slam from the Aggron, which luckily did very little damage as he was so light. As he skid to a halt and got back to his feet, he saw Meowth, poised and ready to battle.

Meowth looked over at Pikachu and smirked, "Come on, we have a friend to save."

With that said, Lucario, Meowth and Pikachu took on the impossible.

Back with the others, Thomas started slowly backing away from the group in front of him, Ash still in his grasp with a pistol to his head.

"As soon as my pokemon start in on you, we're out of here. So you may want to say your goodbye's now, because you'll never see this prick again." Thomas said, gesturing to Ash.

By this point, nearly everyone was crying. The only ones keeping a somewhat level head were Brock and Paul. Everyone else, including James were a nervous wreck. They had almost lost Ash once and now, they were going to lose him again.

As this was going on, Ash was finally starting to break out of his haze. He was fully aware of the situation he was in and yet, he was in a state of complete and total serenity. He looked from his group of broken friends, to his pokemon taking on what now looked to be four of Thomas' pokemon.

These were the things that broke him out of his state of calm. Without panicking, Ash attempted to quickly formulate a plan. However, it was a bit difficult yo do anything with a gun pointed at your skull.

He could only think of one thing to do at this point. Something he remembered seeing on TV back when he was younger. Although, that situation didn't include a gun to the man's head. It didn't matter though... it was his only chance.

Gathering up his thoughts and courage, Ash made a move. He reared his head back as fast as he could, successfully hitting Thomas square in the nose with his head. As he did, a shot rang out, sending a ringing throughout Ash's ears. He thanked God at that moment that Thomas was nearly as tall as himself, or that could have gone poorly.

Although Thomas had shown that shots to his face didn't affect him as they would a normal person, all Ash needed was that little flinch or reaction to slip out of his grasp. Something he was happy to say, worked.

He quickly twisted out of Thomas' grip and spun around toward the arm that held the gun. Grabbing his wrist, Ash applied pressure, forcing the gun to fall from his grasp. This now left neither man with a weapon.

At this point, Ash thought he could hear his friends screaming out to him, but the ringing in his ears and his current laser focus on the task at hand temporarily deafened him.

Without missing a beat, Ash took the arm that formerly housed the weapon and with all the strength he could muster, brought it done upon his leg, effectively snapping it. Ash assumed the crunching and snapping of the bones in his forearm were gruesome, as well as what he knew has to be screams of pain coming from Thomas.

Finally regaining the ability to move, Paul, Brock and James came rushing to Ash's aid, pushing Thomas to the ground.

Ash still had complete control over Thomas' broken arm and he was showing no mercy. Once Thomas was on the ground, Ash continued to contort and bend the arm in the most painful ways possible.

Paul had also taken it upon himself to make sure that Thomas was totally unconscious. He accomplished this by continuously beating his head into the dirty forest floor.

It was around this time that people realized that the pokemon still needed help. May, Serena and Misty all ran up to the slew of pokeballs on the ground and grabbed as many as they could, preparing to toss them.

However, when they looked over at the battle, there were only three pokemon still standing. A noble Lucario, A smart and strong Pikachu, and a brave Meowth.

These three pokemon successfully defeated five opponents at once. Misty couldn't help but smile at the showing of strength and determination the three pokemon showed during that battle.

"Does anyone have a pokemon that knows string shot?" Brock yelled over to the group.

May responded, picking up a specific pokeball, "Yeah. Go Beautify! Tie that man up from head to toe!"

James literally had to pull Paul off of Thomas for him to stop beating his head into the ground, finally allowing Beautify to tie him up. Ash also made sure that his arm was in the worst possible position it could be so that when he woke up, he would be in for a world of pain.

Soon, Thomas was constricted by the extra strong bindings of string shot. He wouldn't be going anywhere unless someone else cut him out. It was around this time that Ash started to feel a hot liquid running into his eye. Knowing what it had to be before he even saw it, he put his head down as to not worry everyone. Digging into his jacket pocket, he pulled out the portable video phone.

He then handed it over to Brock, without showing his face just yet, who seemed to know what he wanted him to do.

Brock hit the only button on the device allowing a dialing tone to be heard and soon, Professor Oak's face popped up on the small screen.

"Ah, Brock. It's good to see you." Oak said.

"Professor, pardon my rudeness for skipping the pleasantries, but you need to call an Officer Jenny and tell them that there is a criminal in a large clearing on the north side of the forest between Pallet Town and Viridian City. He's tied up, so he won't be going anywhere." Brock stated quickly.

Oak looked worried, "Brock, is everything okay? What happened?"

Brock sighed, not wanting to give the full story at the moment, "Professor, I promise I will tell you everything after you call Officer Jenny. For now I'll just say that Ash and us were attacked by a member of Team Rocket. Call me back after you call Officer Jenny."

Brock hung up the phone, not waiting for a reply. He then fell to his knees slowly, letting out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

At this point, Ash's ears were beginning to ring less and less, but blood continued to pour down his face. He understood that he would need to be patched up, but he knew that this injury would look worse than it was and freak everyone out. It was really just a small cut on his forehead where he was grazed by the bullet, but foreheads tend to bleed quite a bit.

His hearing was coming back at a faster rate at that point and he could now hear the cries of some of the others. Soon, he was tackled into a hug by what he could only assume was all of the his friends.

The seemed to pile onto his back, crying into his shirt and holding him tightly. He could now tell by their cries that it was most likely only the girls that had been on him, something he couldn't verify with blood in his eyes.

He soon got to a point where he couldn't take the burning in his eyes anymore; He needed to get cleaned up.

"Could I, uh, get up please?" Ash asked as nicely as possible. With hesitancy, each woman let go of Ash as he prepared to turn around.

"Hey, Brock." Ash said before turning around, revealing his bloodied face, "I think I'm going to need some stitches."

"Oh my God Ash!" May stated as she began crying again.

She pulled him close once again, ignoring the blood that was dripping onto her clothing. Pushing her off for the time being, Ash spoke, "May, I'm fine. The bullet only grazed me, foreheads just bleed a lot. Isn't that right Brock?"

Brock nodded, "He's right. The head has a lot of blood vessels, which causes copious amount of blood flow from wounds. That being said, I still need to check and make sure it's not too serious. Ash, come over here and let me get you cleaned up."

Ash made his way over to Brock, who was grabbing for his canteen of water and a washcloth. Brock motioned for him to sit down, to which he complied.

Dampening the cloth, Brock went to work wiping the blood from Ash's face. However. He soon realized that one cloth would not be enough. He had successfully wiped the blood from the lower half of his face, but he would need a second, maybe even a third cloth to clean the rest.

Finally, all that was still visible on Ash's face was the long, somewhat deep cut present just below his hair line.

"About 6 centimeters long. Kind of deep too." Brock mumbled to himself as he continued to wipe the small amounts of blood still pouring from the wound.

"So...stitches?" Ash asked.

Brock nodded his head, "Definitely. We need to get this closed up. But as soon as we do that, it shouldn't be a problem."

"Okay, so just shoot him up with some numbing stuff and get to work. I'm really not comfortable being around this bastard anymore. I just want to get a move on!" Misty complained, motioning toward the still unconscious Thomas.

Brock sighed, "I don't have any 'numbing stuff,' as you called it."

Ash's eyes widened, "Are you kidding me Brock!? You're a traveling pokemon doctor! How can you not have Novocaine with you?!"

"The only time pokemon doctors use Novocaine or other anesthetics is when a pokemon needs surgery, something I can't exactly do on the go. I never thought I would need it, so I don't carry it with me." Brock explained.

"So what happens if I wait until we get to Viridian to get this done?" Ash inquired.

"There's no way we're going to get there today so, I'd say pretty high chance of infection. Something we really don't have time to worry about right now, especially not with everything that's happening. I can disinfect it as best I can but with how much we're going to be outside for the next 24 hours, I'd say we need to close that up right now."

"Brock, do you even have the equipment necessary to give the stitches?" Paul asked.

Brock shrugged his shoulders, "Kind of...I don't have what I would normally use to give stitches, but I do have a sewing kit."

Ash sighed, "Fine, just do it. Serena, can you grab me a thin twig from over there?"

Ash pointed to a pile of small, fallen branches. Serena didn't hesitate to get it for him, but she didn't understand why he wanted a stick in the first place.

Serena handed over the stick, "Here you go Ash, but why do you need it anyway?"

"Because this is going to hurt like a bitch." Ash explained. Serena and the others quickly understood what he intended to do with the twig. He then placed the stick in between his teeth and bit down as Brock prepared the needle and thread.

Trying to lighten the mood, Brock smiled, "Any color preference?"

However, Ash just gave Brock a cold stare in response. He guessed the oncoming pain made his sense of humor fall temporarily dormant.

Brock wiped the smile from his face, "Black it is..."

"Alright Ash, here we go. You ready?" Brock asked. Ash closed his eyes, took a deep breathe and nodded his head.

As the needle first broke the sensitive skin around the wound, Ash let out a low growl, but controlled himself from that point forward.

Paul had opted to watch, hoping to learn how to do this if it was ever necessary, while the others opted not to.

It wasn't long after trying to find something else to look at that May saw her brother, his knees to his chest while sitting at the base of a tree.

Walking over to him, she crouched to his level, "Max, I know that was scary, but it's over now. We're all okay."

Max only kept his head down, "It's not that..."

"Then what is it?" May inquired

Max continued to keep his head down, mumbling quietly. So quiet that May could not hear him. "Max, what are you saying?"

Max abruptly raised his head, tears welling up in his eyes, "It's my fault this happened!"

To say May was confused would be an understatement, "What do you mean, Max? How could this be your fault?"

The shouting grabbed the attention of Serena and Dawn as Max let tears fall from his eyes. "If I wouldn't have been so stupid, that guy wouldn't even have been with us!"

"Max-"

"NO! Don't try to tell me it's not my fault because it is! Just because this guy knew my name, I allowed him to come with us!" Max screamed.

At this point, both Dawn and Serena had converged to where Max and May were, and were listening intently, hoping they could help somehow.

May took Max's shoulders in her grasp, "Listen to me Max. There was no way you could have known who that guy really was. It seemed like it was just your first fan! I remember when someone first recognized me, my ego was so inflated that I thought I could do anything. The same thing just happened to you."

"I guess, but-" Max was cut off by Dawn, whom May and Max had just noticed was there with them.

"No buts! She's right, and you know it. And even if we hadn't let him come with us, he still would have followed us and attacked us that way. The end result would have been no different no matter what happened." Dawn explained.

"As much as I hate to say it, this just showed us that we're being too trusting, something I thought would never be a problem in the world we live in. But if we want to help Ash, then we need to be careful about who we trust from now on. So Max, it wasn't your fault. We just need to keep moving forward and learn form what happened," Serena added.

Max looked from person to person before a small smile formed on his face. "Thanks you guys. Really."

The girls all smiled back until their attention was captured by a scream. Turning to where they heard the scream come form, they realized that the culprit was Misty, who was watching Brock finish up Ash's stitches.

"Eww. That's so gross! And you can feel everything too!" Misty announced, just as Brock pulled the last stitch.

As soon as Brock finished wiping the blood from the newly closed wound, Ash spat the twig from his mouth and started panting.

Still feeling pain, Ash glared at Misty, "Did you really have to say all that?! It was bad enough actually having to go through it, but you talking about it just made it worse!"

"Oh shut up Ketchum, be a man." Misty joked, making Ash angrier.

"I'm sorry, I forgot that I'm not the one that just got shot, AGAIN! Not only that, but I just got stitches, without Novocaine, so I don't want to-" Ash was cut off as Misty pulled him into a hug.

Surprised by the action, Ash didn't return the hug right away. He only did so after he heard Misty speak softly, "I'm glad your okay..."

Seeing this made the other girls slightly jealous, but it was obvious to see that this was just an embrace of two best friends who cared deeply for each other.

Releasing the hug, Ash felt a weight bear on his shoulder. He looked over to see a slightly worn Pikachu. Also, at his side were both Lucario and Meowth.

"Thanks a lot you guys. If you hadn't been able to defeat those pokemon, I don't think we would have gotten out of this." Ash then turned his attention solely to Meowth. "Especially you Meowth. By you going over to help the others, you bettered the odds. You're a big part of why we got out of this alive."

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed. Even Lucario gave a cool head nod, showing her appreciation.

Meowth smiled and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, "Ah, it was nothing. Just doing what a Meowth's gotta do." Ash then returned Lucario to her ball

"Speaking of the other pokemon, what should we do about Thomas'?" James asked.

"Don't worry about it, I returned them all to their balls. Officer Jenny will pick them up when they come for this guy." Tracey reassured everyone, gaining nods from the group.

"Well, we need to talk about what just happened here and what might happen in the future. Now we know that Giovanni isn't the only Rocket we have to worry about. They're after us now, all of us." Paul said.

Sighing, Ash turned away from the group, "We'll talk about it on the way. I just want to get out of this Godforsaken forest."

With that said, the group took off once again, leaving Thomas behind to be found by Officer Jenny.

* * *

**A/N: What's going to happen to the group after this first encounter with the Rockets? I don't know, but it can't be good!**

**Also, I would like to personally thank the man that has been beta reading for the last few chapters. SuperGv88. He's also been a big help for me getting exposure to my story and I can't thank him enough. A lot of you probably know him from his story, "Get Ready Kalos" (which is a great read btw). I just wanted to shout him out so that anyone that hasn't heard of him could go check out another great story!**

**Also, make sure to vote in the poll on my page. This will be the last chapter that it is up before another question is poised. DO IT!**

**Chapter 10 baby! Double digits! We also passed the 10,000 view mark! Thank you all so much for reading my inaugural fan fiction. Things got a bit "M rated" this chapter and because of that, this story will now be bumped up to an M rating. I hope you all continue to stick around for the next chapter of, "A Trial of Will." See Ya!**


	11. Through the Forest and The Meeting

**"Love doesn't hide. It stays and fights. It goes the distance, that's why love is so strong. So it can carry you all the way home." – Gilbert Parker**

* * *

A Trial of Will

"...We have to be wary of anyone that we don't know. Sadly, we have no way of knowing who's out to get Ash and by association...us." Brock concluded as the gang continued their trek through the forest.

It took a while for anyone to gather the courage to talk about what'd happened with Thomas, though they knew the talk was not only inevitable, but it was also necessary. Eventually, Brock took the reigns and began sharing his ideas of what was to come next. Ultimately, he concluded that they had to be wary about putting their trust in anyone; there was no way of knowing who could be out to kill Ash.

"Brock...what happened?" May questioned rhetorically, her voice faltering. "I mean...almost never in our lives have we had any reason not to trust strangers...random people, who just seem lost... and want a way out of the forest."

The entire group pondered to themselves, asking the same question in their minds. In the end, they all came to the same conclusion.

They didn't know.

What _had_ happened to the world they once knew? The only thing that was understood was that May was right. The pokemon world had always been one of relative safety. Threats from other people were extremely rare, save for the few dangerous groups and teams in the world. And even then, these groups hardly ever directly affected the lives of trainers; not everyone on the planet had the same kind of journey as Ash. In fact, it's safe to say that no one has.

Parents would willingly send their children out into the world, alone, at just ten years of age. Despite their young age and naivety, they never worried about them falling victim to heinous crimes. The only concern would always be if their child would be able to accomplish their dreams.

Thinking back on it, Brock associated the recent change to the relatively new law, which allowed the mass production of guns and other weapons. Though it was hardly noticeable at first, over time, people came to see many officer Jenny in each region toting one. Because of this, it wasn't hard to see how criminals had managed to get their hands on them as well.

"Are we at least getting close to the exit of this damned forest?!" Misty exclaimed. "If I see one more bug pokemon, I swear I'm going to lose my mind!"

Ash giggled, "I still find it hard to believe that even after all these years, you're still afraid of bugs."

Although Misty was aggravated at Ash's comment, she decided not to start a fight, instead settling with crossing her arms and pouting her lips. After all Ash had gone through that day, a pass from her anger seemed appropriate.

"We really haven't been walking long, we've only been going for about 45 minutes now. And according to my pokenav, we still have a little more than two hours until we reach the path that will lead us to Viridian." Brock stated.

"That's great! Two hours is nothing! We'll be out of here in no time!" Serena exclaimed, pumping her fist in happiness.

The smile was wiped off of Serena's face when she felt someone grasp her wrist. She turned to see the perpetrator was Paul, to whom she shot a confused look.

"Don't get too excited. It's hard to see because of the trees, but it's almost sunset. I'd say we only have an hour of light left, and that's if we're lucky. That means the last hour of our journey is going to be shrouded in complete darkness as opposed to the little bit of light we're getting now." Paul elaborated.

Dawn, who was still attempting to recover from what'd happened not one hour previous, unconsciously allowed a fearful look overtake her delicate features. She resisted the urge to begin sprinting, imagining it would get her out of the forest faster. She was only able to stop herself as the horrific thought of getting separated from the group replaced her previous idea.

"I-I can't be in here at night! It's dark enough as it is! We have to get out of here now!" Dawn felt herself begin to panic. The thoughts of something else dangerous coming along in the darkness of night terrified her.

She began to lose control of her body and stopped walking. Already concerned for the girl, the group watched her carefully, wondering what they could do to help the obviously traumatized bluenette.

In her mind, Dawn still felt the presence of her assailant. She could still feel his rancid breath on her neck. His arms holding her captive. His hands grabbing her…

By this point, tears were falling freely down her cheeks. It was plain as day that what'd happened earlier affected her badly. She suddenly began shifting in her stance, almost as if she were struggling.

Struggling to get out of someone's grip.

Ash watched on with sorrow filled eyes. One of his best friends was traumatized by what'd happened earlier and it seemed as if there was nothing he could do about it. She looked so vulnerable. So…broken.

He mentally berated himself for allowing any of his friends to come along with him on this journey. Even though they would be there to help him, something that was sure to be beneficial, it wasn't worth seeing his friends get hurt. He didn't mull over it for long, however, as he approached Dawn as slowly and carefully as possible.

Dawn had long since closed her eyes, attempting to shelter herself from her own imagination. She was battling with her mind, trying desperately to differentiate between what was real and what wasn't.

In her mind, she was still in _his_ grasp, desperately trying to escape. Her paranoia caused her to panic when her consciousness felt an strong pair of arms wrap around her body. Immediately, she started screaming and swinging her arms violently, striking the person holding her dozens of times. Despite the onslaught, the person refused to let go, taking the full brunt of her attacks.

Despite everything she was feeling, it took only two words for her to calm down,

"It's okay…"

It wasn't so much the words, but the voice that accompanied them. Hearing Ash's voice, she slowly opened her eyes, as if making sure it was really him she was with. His deep brown eyes were the only thing she needed to be certain. She quickly embraced him and began sobbing into his chest.

Ash rubbed her back reassuringly, "It's okay, Dawn. I'm right here. No one's going to hurt you. Not with me around."

His words made her smile, despite the fact that she was still crying uncontrollably. The rest of the group looked on in a mixture of happiness, knowing that they would all be there for each other, and fear.

Fear of not knowing what was coming next.

Not knowing how everything would turn out.

This journey was the first that showed no definitive end.

A good cry seemed to be just what Dawn needed. Releasing her fear in the form of hot tears and feeling Ash's warmth reassured her that she would be okay. That nothing would hurt her.

It took a while but eventually, Dawn's sobs died down and she was simply resting her head on Ash's strong chest.

Finally feeling Dawn was comfortable, Ash put her at arm's length and spoke, "Everything's going to be okay, Dawn. I'm never going to let anything happen to you. No matter what the cost, I will protect you."

Ash face was painted with the same determination he would wear during a Pokémon battle. This steely determination faded, however, as he drank in the sight of Dawn.

He couldn't help but think that even with her red, puffy eyes and running makeup, she was still incredibly beautiful. This thought, along with Dawn's newfound comfort, were more than enough to make his look of assurance fade into a bright smile.

Hearing Ash's comforting words rapidly drained all of the fear she felt. Even jut having him in her presence made her feel better. Then, for the first time since the incident, Dawn smiled.

"Now there's that beautiful smile of yours." Ash said softly as he wiped her remaining tears away with his thumb. Dawn felt her face heat up and her smile grow even brighter.

He slowly retracted his arms from Dawn and turned to face his friends, determination washing over him once again.

"That goes for all of you. I know I've said this before but I'll say it again, I will not let anything happen to any of you. No matter what's at stake, no matter what may happen to me, I will make sure that you stay safe." Ash finished, only to hear a sarcastic laugh coming from Paul.

"Come on Ash, you don't get to be the hero _all_ the time. Let someone else have a turn every once in a while, will ya? You don't have to do this alone... I'm with you all the way. No matter what, I'm going to make sure that nothing happens to anyone. I know I may not be the nicest guy all the time, but I am definitely no liar. You all were the first people who I could even consider friends, especially you Ash. If it wasn't for you, I would still be alone, wandering around aimlessly, letting my arrogance guide me to what was sure to be my own downfall. Because of this, I'm forever indebted to you. So I promise that I will protect each and every one of you, just as Ash will" Paul spoke proudly, a brave smile gracing his lips.

His smile seemed to be contagious. Everyone knew that Ash would do anything for them and they believed in Paul as well. It was nice to know that people were looking out for them.

"I'm really thankful for that you guys, but we really need to get going. We've lost quite a bit of time and we're definitely going to be in the forest when night falls." Tracey stated.

Dawn couldn't help but feel guilty for being the one who'd wasted the precious time.

Remorse flowed through her like the blood in her veins, "I'm sorry you guys. If I wouldn't have stopped, we might've been able to get out of here before it got dark."

May scoffed before wrapping her arm around her friend, "Oh please Dawn, don't feel like this is your fault. You went through a lot, it's more than understandable. Now come on everyone, let's get out of here!"

May released Dawn from her grasp and made her way to the front of the group.

"I can get on board with that plan!" Misty added, marching along with May.

Ash turned to Dawn one last time, "Are you going to be okay, Dawn?"

By this time, Dawn's tears had long dried and she held a bright smile on her face. The only evidence she was ever in distress was her red eyes.

She had been staring at Ash longingly since he'd addressed the group. The comfort he provided Dawn was more than enough to intensify the love she felt for him immensely. If it weren't for the current circumstances, she felt that she could have confessed right there.

"Uh…Dawn?" She was brought out of her stupor by Ash, who was waving a hand in front of her face.

Blushing once again, she shot the man a thumbs up, "I'm perfect Ash.

Hearing this, Ash nodded before turning and jogging to catch up with the group.

For a few moments, Dawn remained stationary, allowing the smile on her face grow more. She looked up and watched as Ash chased down the group.

"Just perfect," Dawn muttered to herself before running to catch up with everyone else.

"Okay, it's starting to get really creepy out here. How much longer until we reach the exit, Brock?" Serena asked, her arms folded across her chest.

"Well, if we continue at the pace we're at now, I'd say..." Brock looked at his pokenav, "About 30 minutes."

May sighed, the total darkness that surrounded her obviously making her anxious, "I just wish I could actually see more than three feet in front of me."

The sun had set nearly 20 minutes earlier, leaving the group shrouded in absolute darkness. They all made sure to say something every few minutes, just to make sure none of them had gotten separated from the group.

"Pikachu, can you do us a favor and walk ahead of us a bit. You might be able to help us see a little better." Ash asked, noting that Pikachu gave off a small glow, obviously from the sheer amount of electricity housed inside the small pokemon. He didn't give off much light, but it was better than nothing.

"Pika!" The rodent responded happily as he hopped off his trainers shoulder and began to lead the group. His natural illumination allowed the gang to see maybe 3 more feet ahead of them than they previous had, though it was still not enough to make them feel entirely comfortable.

May smiled at Pikachu's helpfulness. Not wanting him to be lonely trekking ahead of them, she reached for a pokeball, "Come on out Glaceon!"

The icy blue pokemon emerged from her ball, performing a good, long stretch as she emerged. It was clear to see that she was sleeping before she was called upon.

"Gla?" Glaceon asked as she looked toward her trainer, confused as to why she was sent out of her ball.

Without breaking her stride, May spoke, "Hey Glaceon. Sorry if I woke you, but I thought you might like to keep Pikachu company while he leads us the rest of the way through the forest."

At hearing Pikachu's name, any drowsiness the pokemon still harbored faded as she ran forward and began chatting with the yellow pokemon. May giggled at the exchange; it was always nice to see how much Glaceon liked Pikachu.

Seeing the two pokemon be so calm and friendly with each other made the group calm down a great deal. Everyone was extremely tense due to the darkness and more so due to not knowing what lurked in said darkness. Normally, it wouldn't bother them too much, it wasn't as if they'd never spent the night in a forest before. However, with the current circumstances, relaxing at the wrong moment could spell disaster for any of them.

Misty in particular found solace in the two joyful pokemon. Due to her intense fear of bug pokemon, this forest, especially during the night, was hell for her. But seeing the two pokemon act as if nothing was wrong made her feel much better. It also didn't hurt that due to the light being produced, she could now see all of her other friends, no longer having to rely on just the sounds of their voices to know they were still with her.

Finally allowing her mind to wander to things other than the danger they were in, Misty noticed a golden opportunity to help May with Ash... by using the two adorable pokemon in front of her.

"Pikachu and Glaceon sure do like each other a lot," Misty started, gaining everyone's attention. However, her eyes focused solely on May and Ash, "You know guys, they say that pokemon exhibit similar feelings as their trainers. What do you think Ash, May?"

Upon hearing this, both flushed bright red. May thanked the god's above that the light wasn't bright enough to clearly show her beet red face.

Not surprisingly, both Dawn and Serena felt jealousy squeeze at their insides. Glaring at both Misty and May, the two silently pouted as the group continued forward.

Ash on the other hand ignored the heat that rushed to his cheeks and actually gave thought to what Misty had said. Pikachu and Glaceon did seem to enjoy each others company, as he did May's, but what exactly did that enjoyment mean? Were the two simply platonic, or was there something more between them? After the kiss, Ash had been reevaluating his relationship with the brunette; Misty's words just served to progress these thoughts further.

Breaking out of his thoughts, Ash took notice of the discomfort May seemed to be feeling, "Misty, now is really not the time for this. We have to focus on getting out of the forest."

Misty, whom had been silently giggling to herself this entire time, allowed her face to turn stoic. Ash was right. They needed to get out of the forest first, then she could help May further her relationship with Ash...and tease her along the way.

Now that there was enough light for everyone to see one another, silence fell over the group for the first time in hours. Noticing this, Max used this moment to ask something that had been on his mind for a while.

"Hey guys? I've been wondering, why didn't we have Lucario use Heal Pulse on Ash again to heal him? I mean, it would have been a lot less painful, don't you think?" Max finished.

Ash's eyes narrowed as they found their way to Brock, "Good question Max...why don't we ask Brock, he _is_ the doctor here!"

Noting Ash's anger toward him, Brock knew he would need to tread carefully with his response, "Well Ash, I don't know for sure..."

He did not tread carefully.

Ash's eyes went wide before he cut his older friend off, "You don't know? You don't know!? Do you know what it felt like to have a needle weaving its way through my skin, all the while being able to feel every little prick and pull! Well, it hurt..._a lot_. Not to mention I've been shot twice in the past week..."

Noticing Ash was beginning to ramble, Brock put his hand up, signaling the younger trainer to stop his tangent, "If you would have let me finish, then I would have said, I don't know for sure, but I have a theory as to why we shouldn't be so liberal in using a pokemon's healing powers on you."

Never breaking stride, the group listening in, curious as to Brock's reasoning. Ash was especially intrigued. He was the person that this most directly impacted after all.

Noticing all attention was on him, the pokemon doctor spoke, "Clearly, it was Ash's aura that enabled him to survive what no one before him has. Even before all of this happened, I've been researching using healing moves on humans, closely following any new studies that have come out; that's how I knew that it was something we could try on Ash, but only as a last resort."

"Even though the procedure worked the first time, we can't rely on using it whenever something happens to Ash." Brock finished.

"But why not? I mean you said it yourself, Ash's unique aura is what allowed him to survive the first time. So why wouldn't he be able to again?" Serena questioned, asking what was on everyone's mind.

Brock sighed before beginning, "Yes, the uniqueness of Ash's aura most likely had a great deal to do with his survival, but I don't think that was all of it."

Seeing the confused faces of his friends, Brock continued, "There was one particular study that was done by a researcher in the Sinnoh region. The results of the examination have been swirling in my mind ever since we first tried the technique."

"This particular study was different from all others before it. The reason being it included an actual aura guardian. Actually, it's someone we once met Ash, Dawn."

A look of realization overtook Ash's face, "You mean it was...

Brock nodded, "It was Riley. Anyway, the person whom offered their body to be subject to the procedure was dying, slowly and painfully. Like most others, he knew that his time was coming to an end, so he allowed for the procedure to take place He truly had nothing to lose." Brock continued.

The young doctor paused, making sure that everyone was following along. He also did a quick check to make sure that no one had gotten separated from the group as they continued marching.

Seeing everything was as it should be, he continued, "Anyway, aura is a life force, something found in all living beings. With this knowledge, the researcher asked Riley to sense the man's aura as a Lucario used Heal Pulse on him. Sadly, like all other before him, the man died just minutes into the procedure."

"Although the man died, Riley discovered what could potentially be the reason that the attack would only work on pokemon. According to Riley, the man's aura reserve quickly emptied as the move was used on his body. For some reason, Heal Pulse only used a small amount of Lucario's aura, but took all of the man's. And once someone runs out of aura, that's it. Their life is over. " Brock finished somberly.

"I don't understand what you're getting at, Brock. Ash isn't like the others, he survived!" Misty exclaimed.

"Well, here's where my theory comes in. Not only is Ash's aura unique, but it is also plentiful. From what we've been told from the aura guardians and various Lucario we've met over the years, Ash houses much more aura than an average person. And that's why I think he was able to survive. Also I should mention, pokemon tend to carry a much higher amount of aura than humans, as well as being able to regenerate it faster, so it's easy to see why the attack works for them." Brock stated.

"So you think that Ash survived because he had more aura to be drained than a normal person would." James said, more as a statement than a question. Although he wasn't there to witness it, he was piecing together what'd happened to Ash after he was shot.

Brock nodded toward James, "Exactly. For some reason, moves like Heal Pulse drain the aura of humans, and Ash just had more to give. The reason I suggest we don't use Lucario to heal unless it is an absolute emergency is because I have no idea how long it will take for Ash's aura to return to its normal levels. If we do it too quickly, there's a chance that Ash could end up like all the others. I'd much rather be safe than sorry."

Ash scoffed and mumbled to himself, "Yeah, tell that to my aching forehead..."

Even though he knew Brock was right, and it was better to play on the safe side, Ash was still a little irked about how much pain he went through getting stitched up.

"I know that it was better to deal with the wound the way we did, but now I'm going to have this huge scar on my head..." Ash said dejectedly.

"That may be, but you looked like a total badass when all that blood was dripping down your face. It was awesome!" Max exclaimed, earning a slap from May for his swearing.

Feeling bold, Serena walked up to Ash and placed her arm around the boy, "Don't worry about that Ash. It's true what they say, you know. Chicks dig scars. Especially when you get them being all heroic."

Ash blushed at the comment, turning his head away from the blonde. He recovered quickly, however, and decided to have some fun at the girl's expense. Despite what he'd said earlier to Misty, he just couldn't help but have a little fun.

"Oh, so you think I look even more handsome with the scar?" Ash quizzed.

"Yup!...wait...I mean, no...WAIT..." Serena became flustered at the seemingly innocent question. Ash just smirked.

"See, making girls blush already!" Paul added, barely being able to contain his laughter.

Serena retracting her arm from Ash and shot a deadly glare Paul's way, shutting him up instantly.

Max watched the situation in confusion, "Anyway, thanks for the information Brock! I love learning new things!"

May scoffed at how nerdy her brother was, "You are such a geek!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

The two sibling went back and forth for a while, annoying some while amusing others. One of those who found happiness in their small quarrel was Ash.

For a moment, he actually forgot what was at stake. He forgot that his mother was in danger. He forgot that he was essentially promenading to his own death...

For jut a brief period of time, everything felt normal. He was with his friends, just out on another journey, with the hops of becoming the world's greatest pokemon master.

But of course, that feeling couldn't last.

Attempting to talk over the two arguing siblings, Tracey rose his voice, "It shouldn't be long until we reach the exit of the forest now!"

Despite him speaking loudly, no one seemed to hear him over Max and May's bickering. It'd gotten so extreme that they had stopped walking just to better focus their insults on each other, forcing everyone else to halt as well. The most annoying thing was, the pair weren't even being creative with their insults. All their squabble consisted of now was a back and forth of 'are nots' and 'are toos.'

"Ugghhh! Max, you are so annoying! I wish I never let you come wit-" May stopped her speech rapidly as out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Paul, a finger to his lips and a stern expression plastered on his face; he obviously wanted absolute silence and being reminded of the situation they were in, she was more than willing to give it, even if it meant pausing her fight with her brother.

May then let her eyes drift to Ash, who also seemed to be listening intently to his surroundings. Noticing this, most everyone fell into a hush.

Everyone except Dawn.

Obviously failing to notice the serious looks on Paul and Ash's faces, the bluenette spoke loudly, "What's wrong gu-"

Her being was suddenly forced into silence. She still felt her lips moving but for some reason, no words were coming out. She quickly noticed a somewhat rough hand had found its way over her mouth. She then followed the hand back to its owner.

If it hadn't been for the extremely serious expression on his face, Dawn would have blushed bright red knowing that Ash was one who had muted her.

At that moment, the bluenette finally picked up what the others were hearing. It was some kind of...buzzing?

_"Oh no..."_ Both Max and May looked to each other, thinking the same thing.

"We need to run, now!" May exclaimed.

"That's one thing we can agree on, May." Max stated, ready to break out into a full sprint any moment.

Serena, Tracey, Meowth and James seemed confused as to why they were so frazzled by a simple sound. A sound that probably meant nothing.

"May, I think if someone was following us, they wouldn't be this loud and obvious." Serena said, not seeing the danger.

May opened her eyes wide and made sure to raise the amount of urgency in her voice, "It's not a _someone_ we have to worry about! It's more like a lot of _somethings_!"

"Can't you tell what that sound is!? It's a swarm of-"

Jut then, somewhere around 30 Beedrill made themselves known to the group in front of them, finishing off Max's sentence

No one moved for a moment, everyone too frozen with fear and surprise to do anything but stare.

"Oh shit..." Paul mumbled

Meowth shuffled his feet before breaking out into a sprint, "Everybody run!

Needing no more encouragement, the gang took off.

"Pikachu, thunderbolt!" Ash exclaimed, neither him nor his pokemon slowing down.

The electric rodent was able to get his attack off, but with him running so quickly in the opposite direction, his accuracy was subpar at best. Him and Glaceon could have turned to fight, but they knew that themselves alone couldn't take on what looked to be almost 30 full-sized Beedrill.

A few members of the group reached for a pokeball. However, they quickly realized that there was no way they would be able to release their pokemon and inform them of the situation before the wild Beedrill got to them. Their numbers were just too high.

Luckily for them, Tracey had been correct when he stated that they were close to the exit; they only had about a half-mile left in their trek through the dense brush.

Thanks to years of traveling and training, sprinting half a mile wasn't _too_ hard for any member of the group. After just a few minutes of running, the low light provided by the moon could be seen past the treeline just 500 feet in front of them.

"Hurry up, they're gaining on us!" Ash exclaimed from the front of the group. Being in the best shape out of anyone else, Ash had the most endurance and speed, allowing him to be at the forefront of the march with ease.

They were getting closer. Everyone, Misty in particular, could already taste the relief that was sure to accompany leaving this godforsaken grove.

400 feet.

It was common knowledge that most forest-dwelling Beedrill wouldn't leave the dense brush. It was almost always more advantageous for them to stick to a place that they were familiar with.

_Almost_ always.

300 feet.

Though, there had been several cases all throughout Kanto over the years where Beedrill had left there familiar settings when agitated. _Extremely_ agitated.

And that was exactly what these Beedrill seemed to be. Despite knowing this, the hope that these wild pokemon would halt their pursuit at the forest's end was the only thing the group had.

200 feet.

They were going to make it! They could actually see light pouring in from the break in the grove.

They all were so entranced by the prospect of getting out safely, that nobody noticed one particular Beedrill pick up speed.

100 feet.

Serena, despite being no slouch when it came to endurance and speed, found herself at the back of the group. She felt the overwhelming desire to look back, but managed to push the feeling away momentarily, knowing that doing so would put her in grave danger.

If only she would have listened to herself and looked behind her.

Maybe then she would have been able to avoid the rogue Beedrill's poisonous stinger that soon found itself embedded in her right shoulder. It wasn't deep, but she could already feel the poison pouring into her body.

Immediately, Serena screamed in both pain and fear, garnering the attention of her friends. They all looked over their shoulders to see what was happening, but none of them stopped running, not even Serena. Instead, they simply threw their heads over their shoulders, trying to decipher exactly what'd happened.

As they realized what'd happened, the group grew horrified. Both Ash and Paul had to fight back the impulse of rushing back to the honey blonde girl and fighting the Beedrill themselves; that would be suicide.

Pikachu, however, knew a sting from a Beedrill wouldn't effect it as it would a human. The yellow rodent always loved Serena so throwing all caution to the wind, Pikachu stopped in his tracks and turned his small body so that he was facing the swarm of oncoming Beedrill.

Not wasting any time, Pikachu unleashed a powerful thunderbolt, not only giving Serena the opportunity to escape the rogue, but also halting the rest of the bee pokemon momentarily.

Seeing that his work was done, Pikachu resumed running with the rest of the group toward the exit. In a matter of seconds, they were able to reach it.

Panting, everyone turned around, praying that the Beedrill wouldn't follow them. But they knew, with their luck, that prayer would never be answered.

Despite Serena not yet feeling the effects of the dangerous poison coursing through her body, Brock and Tracey ran over to her, doing whatever they could to help.

As for everyone else, they kept their eyes locked on the break'd had just emerged from, a scowl adorning all of their faces.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Ash spoke up, "Everyone, release your pokemon. We're going to teach these Beedrill that they fucked with the wrong people."

Not needing any further incentive, everyone reached for a pokeball. Even though both Ash and May already had Pikachu and Glaceon out, they opted to release another pokemon to help; May going with Blaziken and Ash grabbed for Charizard. It might have been overkill, but they weren't willing to take any chances.

Misty called upon her Politoad while Dawn sent out her Quilava. Finally Max called for his Kirlia and Paul sent his powerful Electivire.

"Everybody be ready, I hear them coming." Paul commanded.

As if one cue, the swarm of Beedrill emerged from the forest, lead by what they could only assume was the same one that had stung Serena.

Wasting no time, a variety of attacks were called from the trainers, each one taking out numerous Beedrill. In a matter of moments, all of the Beedrill were either fainted on the ground in front of them, or had retreated back to whence they came.

Even though the altercation was over, May still felt anger boiling inside of her. Not only did she have to deal with Beedrill another time not long ago, this swarm had also hurt her new friend. Rivals in love or not, hurting Serena was not something May was going to allow.

Picking out a random, fainted Beedrill from the ground in front of her, May spoke, "Blaziken use-"

The brunette paused her command when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around to find the owner, she was surprised to see Ash.

"Don't do it, May. You know that if a pokemon takes too much damage after it faints, then it will die." Ash stated in a calm, steady voice.

Despite already knowing this, May gasped. She'd been so blinded by her rage that she nearly just ended the life of a pokemon. Even if it had injured her friend, May had no desire for it to die.

Her eyes welled up her gaze meeting Ash's before she broke down. Without waiting for his approval, May quickly grasped the front of Ash's shirt and cried into his chest. Ash wanted to comfort her, he always did. However, there was something else he was worried about at the moment.

"Guys, we have a problem here." Tracey addressed the group. He'd left Serena and Brock to come share what was happening with the girl.

Looking behind Tracey, they could see Serena sitting on the ground with Brock kneeling behind her, analyzing her shoulder. The group then quickly made their way over to the performer.

As the group approached, they got a better look at the damage that'd been done. In the heat of the moment, they didn't have time to assess exactly what'd happened to make Serena scream the way she did. Of course, they had a theory but now, the truth was right in front of them.

The stinger created a hole in her blouse, which was widened by Brock in order to allow him a better view of the wound. The lesion was anything but pretty.

Despite Serena only getting stung not more than three minutes ago, a large bump had already formed and the skin surrounding the area already began turning purple.

"Serena ar-are you okay?" Misty questioned, not knowing what else to say.

Surprisingly, Serena looked up at the redhead and smiled warmly, "Actually, I feel fine! Just a little sore where the stinger went in, but other than that, I'm perfectly normal."

No one present had ever experienced the sting of a Beedrill before, so it was nearly impossible for them to know that symptoms usually didn't kick in until 5 minutes after being stung...

"We should probably still get me checked out though. Better to be safe than-" Serena started, attempting to get to her feet. However, as she was nearly standing at her full height, all strength seemed to be zapped from her legs as she collapsed, only to be caught by the nearby Brock. They quickly noticed Serena's eyes had closed to slits and her breathing was slowly becoming more irregular.

"Brock, what happened?! She said she was fine!" Max yelled frantically.

"I-I'm not sure...They never really went over how a human would react to a Beedrill sting in any of the courses I took. But I do know that we need to get her to a doctor as fast as possible." Brock responded, the urgency of the situation evident in his voice.

Without saying a word, his stoic expression never faltering, Ash made his way over to Brock and put his arms out in front of him.

Brock looked at the trainers empty arms, confused. Seeing his expression, Ash spoke calmly, "Give her to me, Brock."

Brock completely trusted Ash, but he wanted to know what he was planning before he handed over the wounded girl. The raven haired trainer did have a tendency to get a little reckless, and this was a situation where they couldn't risk anything going wrong

"Ash, what are you-"

"I said give her to me, NOW!" Ash screamed in a deep, commanding tone. He was obviously struggling to keep it together before and with Brock not doing what he'd said, he lost it.

Without another word, Brock handed the unconscious girl over to Ash. The boy then quickly turned away from the group, facing the direction of Viridian City.

Although she was slightly frightened by his out burst, Dawn and everyone else needed to know what he was doing. So she stepped forward, silently praying the the timidness she was feeling wouldn't be evident in her voice, "Ash, what are you doing?"

Without turning around, Ash spoke, though much more softly, "I'm the fastest out of all of us...I'm getting Serena to Viridian City. You can try to keep up, but I will not stop and I will not wait for you."

With that said, Ash took of sprinting toward Viridian City. The rest of the group looked to one another, seemingly frozen for a moment.

However, they quickly came to their senses and took off after the boy. For just a moment, everything else was forgotten. The only thing anyone could think of at the moment was Serena's safety. If she would make it out of this alive...

* * *

_Team Rocket HQ, Unknown Location_

A woman ran through the halls of one of the many Team Rocket bases throughout the Kanto region, obviously looking for something.

She soon turned a corner, coming into view of the large, familiar doors that would lead to Giovanni's main office.

Making sure to knock as to avoid another scolding, the woman waited for a response. Hearing a muffled voice make its way through the door, the woman entered.

The first thing anyone saw when entering the office was the large desk, decorated with incredibly intricate details. Sat behind the desk was the leader of Team Rocket himself. Sat next to him was his forever loyal Persian, laying comfortably on a bed of her own.

Upon seeing the new arrival, Giovanni smiled, "Ah...Domino. Always a pleasure. To what do I owe the visit. It's not often my second in command drops in unannounced."

"Um...actually I'm third in command now. Ghetsis is second, remember?" Domino asked, her voice uncharacteristically timid.

Giovanni scoffed, "Officially, that may be the truth. But to me, you'll always be my number two."

Domino smiled to herself at her bosses words. She'd always been somewhat of a 'teacher's pet' so when Ghetsis had joined the team and she was demoted, she took it hard. Hearing Giovanni say what he did managed to bring back some of her previously dwindling confidence.

Though, Giovanni thinking this way shouldn't have been much of a surprise. In the time that Team Rocket had been around, the only agent Giovanni had shown any real interest in was Domino. Even Ghetsis, the man's partner, was not included on the short list of people that Giovanni liked. He was only there because he thought he could help further Team Rocket's goal.

"So I'll ask again, to what do I owe the pleasure, Domino?" Giovanni quizzed, redirecting the conversation.

Immediately, the smile was wiped off of Domino's face as she remembered what she'd come here for in the first place.

"Sir, I have some troubling news..." Domino paused, attempting to gauge her boss's reaction.

Though, Giovanni did not react how she'd expected. Instead of his face falling, as it normally did when bad news was to be presented, the toothless smile never left his face.

Shaking the confusion out of her head, Domino continued, "Thomas is in Custody. Based on the report I received, he was found tied up somewhere in the forest that separates Pallet Town and Viridian City. His arm was also severely broken, the doctors are saying beyond proper repair. The call to the police was made by Professor Samuel Oak of Pallet Town."

Domino paused for a moment, her eyes casting downward in confusion, "That's the only part that doesn't make sense to me. Thomas was found toward the north side of the forest, so why would Professor Oak be the one to call the police?"

"That's an interesting development indeed. I do have a theory though, if you would like to hear it." Domino nodded at Giovanni's offer, "Samuel Oak happens to be a significant figure in Mr. Ash Ketchum's life. I can't help but think Ketchum and his friends had something to do with Thomas' capture."

"I have to agree, but what do we do about Thomas, sir? He was a fairly high ranking officer." Domino reminded her boss.

Giovanni took a breath before standing from his chair. He slowly made his way to the front of the desk, leaning on it with his arms crossed.

"It is a shame that they managed to capture Thomas. I'm not sure if they'll be able to tie his actions back to us, but it shouldn't matter either way; he wouldn't dare talk. I have to say though, I'm impressed Ketchum was able to get passed one of our higher ranking officers. There may be even more to this kid than meets the eye." Giovanni said.

It seemed to Domino that her boss was beginning to ramble, "Sir, what do we do about Thomas?"

Giovanni responded without hesitation, "Leave him to rot in prison. He's not worth the trouble it would take to get him out."

Domino's eyes widened at Giovanni's words. She'd known he was a cold man, but this was something else.

"Sir, with all due respect, Thomas has been a fine agent for almost 10 years. How can we just leave him in prison?" Domino asked, still dumbfounded.

For the first time since Domino entered the room, Giovanni's smile fell. His mouth made its way downward, forming a scowl that would make anyone shiver.

"He may have been a decent operative up to this point, but if he can't even get past an 18 year old and his friends, then he doesn't belong in Team Rocket. It's his own fault for getting caught. I forced no one to go out and attempt to capture or kill Ketchum, it was an open offer. Obviously, Thomas thought he could cash in. Turns out he was wrong. It's his fuck up." Giovanni finished coldly.

Despite her surprise at Giovanni's decision, she allowed a grin to spread on her face. It was times like these when she remembered why she joined Team Rocket in the first place; her icy heart meshed perfectly with that of the Rocket boss's.

"Do you want me to take a shot at the boy? I definitely wouldn't let you down." Domino questioned hopefully. She'd faced off with Ash once before and after all the grief he'd caused the organization, she wanted a piece of him for herself.

"No. At least, not yet. I would like to see just what the boy can do. It is still early in Ketchum's journey, and I want to see how he handles what is to come. This will give me the upper hand if and when he makes it here. I've instructed agents to check up on them at major landmarks throughout Kanto, but not get involved, no matter what. Sadly, I wasn't expecting so much to happen between Pallet and Viridian, so no one besides Thomas was there to see what'd happened" Giovanni scowled.

"This will also give me the opportunity to weed out the weak. If other rockets get captured, no matter their rank, they will not be bailed out of prison. They will have to live with their failures, forever, in a cell."

Although she was disappointed that she couldn't go after the boy, Domino knew that Giovanni's plan was most likely best. Watching how Ash and his friends reacted to certain situations would certainly prove to be advantageous for them in the long run.

Noting the long silence, Domino brought up another thing that had been on her mind, "How's the mother doing?"

Once again, a smile began tugging at Giovanni's lips, "Wonderfully. Or, so I've heard. I actually haven't had the pleasure of meeting the woman just yet. I've been leaving her handling to Ghetsis for the most part."

Domino nodded. It wasn't as if she actually cared about Delia, but she was curious as to how the woman was holding up in the horrible conditions she was sure to be in. Horribly, she hoped.

"Now that you mention it though, I do desire to have meeting with our prisoner; I was planning on going earlier, but I got caught up in some things. Who knows, maybe I'll even fill her in on how her boy is doing." Giovanni finished with a sinister laugh. Domino joined in soon after.

"Domino, do me a favor and tell Ghetsis to meet me in the prisoner's ward. I would like him to be there while we talk." Giovanni requested.

Only nodding in response, Domino turned and left the large room. Her new destination, Ghetsis' office.

Giovanni looked to his prized Persian, whom he recognized was currently asleep, before exiting the room himself.

It didn't take long for Giovanni to make it to the part of the building where the prisoners were kept. He stood stationary in front of the old door that would lead him to his destination. He nodded to the guards stationed in front of the entryway before taking a deep breath and entering.

Even though he was the one who sanctioned the creation of this part of the hideout, Giovanni still hated visiting it. For one, it smelled horribly of excrement and other nasty things. He walked through the hall, noticing the empty cells that lined each wall along the way.

Giovanni silently cursed as he bumped his shin into an old, decrepit chair that found its way into the man's path. That was another thing the boss hated. The only thing providing light to this hallway were the 3 free hanging light bulbs evenly spaced throughout the hall. None provided very much brightness.

Although he despised being here, he was happy with how he'd made his prison. It truly was an awful place, something he wanted for his captives.

After the short walk, he came upon the only cell that sat adjacent to the door where he'd entered. Since Delia was his only prisoner at the time, he thought he'd show her the courtesy of giving her the largest cell with the best view. Granted, since there were no windows, her only "view" was the door stationed at the end of the hall. Dramatic irony, Giovanni liked to call it; showing the captive what was her only means of escape, all the while keeping her aware of the fact that she could never reach it.

Giovanni soon found himself standing at the front of the cell. He took note of just how much nicer this cell was than the others. It had a bed, though the slab of wood on legs could hardly be called such. It even included a bucket to use as a toilet, which he noticed was looking quite full. He commended himself for treating this particular prisoner so well.

Yes.

Giovanni was a fair man.

Delia was curled up in a ball on the "bed," facing away from Giovanni. The only thing that provided her with the knowledge that she was not alone was the sound of the cell door opening.

With great desperation, Delia hopped up from the bed and ran as fast as she could toward the open door. However, she was caught easily by the strong arm of a man. A man who'd just closed her only means of escape behind him.

As he caught her, Giovanni couldn't help but laugh. Making sure the door was locked behind him, Giovanni walked Delia back to the bed before harshly throwing her onto it.

"Still so much fight in you! I can see where he gets it." Giovanni stated with a sick smile. Delia, struggling against her incredible fatigue; being in this place for a few days was really weighing down on her. So much so, she wasn't even able to process exactly what the Rocket boss had said.

Giovanni slowly approached the woman. Delia backed away instinctively from this unfamiliar man, but she was soon stopped by one of the four cursed walls of her prison. When he was only a few feet in front of her, Giovanni crouched down, putting himself at the same level as the seated woman.

Putting on his friendliest smile, Giovanni spoke, "Can I get you anything? Anything at all. You name it. Some more water, a magazine...? Anything?"

Knowing that he was being smart with her, Delia scowled. He was just like that other guy who kept coming in here, Ghetsis.

Soon, Delia found herself face to face with the unfamiliar man. They looked into each other's eyes for a few moments. Having had enough of looking at this creep, Delia gathered up all the saliva she could and spat in the man's face.

Giovanni's only reaction was his eyes closing. He then slowly brought his hand up and wiped as much of the saliva off of his face as he could in one swipe. What creeped Delia out the most was the fact that the smile never left his face.

Quickly and without warning, Giovanni reared his hand back and struck Delia in the face, sending her flopping to her right. Soon after, Giovanni stood back to his feet, straightening out his suit all the while.

Without waiting for her to recover, the Rocket boss spoke, "Oh, I'm sorry! Where are my manners? We have yet be be introduced! My name is Giovanni, leader of Team Rocket. It truly is a pleasure to meet you."

In the time it took Giovanni to say this, Delia had recovered from the open handed slap and was watching the newly identified Giovanni with utter disgust.

Though she hid it well, Delia felt overwhelming shock; Ghetsis hadn't mention this. It was Team Rocket that had captured her? The same people that always followed her son around, trying to steal Pikachu? The same people that'd nearly killed her son...

She'd only had a few encounters with Team Rocket, but she'd always thought they were nothing to worry about. Seeing Jessie, James and Meowth getting blasted off by her, at the time, pre-teen son had made them seem harmless.

Obviously, that wasn't the case as evidence by not only the kidnapping, but the murder attempt on her own son and his friends.

This man had her kidnapped, and she recalled hearing of them taking over the Silph Company building, killing dozens in the process. Although she was scared before, but knowing that she was in the hands of a big time criminal organization intensified her fear tenfold.

Obviously, Delia hadn't hide her shock as well as she'd thought, "I see you recognize the name. I'm not surprised, Team Rocket certainly seems to be all over the place these days."

Seeing that he wasn't going to get Delia to speak to him, at least at this time, Giovanni continued, "I bet you're wondering why you're here. Why we took you from your lovely little home and threw you in this cell."

Giovanni waited for a response, but received nothing. Though, he did notice a look in Delia's eyes, telling him that she was extremely curious.

"Well, it's of no fault of your own." Giovanni started, "It actually has everything to do with your son, Mr.-"

Giovanni was cut off by a new arrival to the group, Ghetsis, who was currently entering the cell, "...Ash Ketchum."

This time around, Delia didn't even try to hide the surprise on her face. Almost instantly, any worry for her own well being vanished and was soon replaced with fear for her son.

Giovanni sighed, attempting to curb his anger; he hated being cut off, "Thank you, Ghetsis." He forced out, "I do believe you two have already met."

The ex plasma boss locked eyes with the auburn-haired mother before licking his lips seductively, making the woman shudder in fear and disgust. Although he had yet to do anything to her, Ghetsis has made a number of sexual comments regarding the young mother. Delia feared what the man would do to her in the future if given the chance.

"Anyway, I believe it's finally time that I tell you exactly why you're here." Giovanni stated. Her motherly instincts kicked in shortly after he spoke, causing her to shoot a deadly glare at the man in front of her.

Giovanni placed his hands in his pockets before continuing, "You see, your son has been a thorn in my side for a very, _very_ long time. Always getting involved, meddling in our plans. After all these years, it was finally starting to get to me."

The Rocket boss paused, a deceptively friendly smile on his face. He was allowing what he was saying sink in to the young mother's mind. He then looked to his associate, Ghetsis. He also held a grin, but his was much more maniacal.

Despite hating these two men with every fiber of her being, Delia was at full attention, hanging onto Giovanni's every word. Not only was she in danger, but it seemed Ash was as well.

"Despite the fact that I'm not the boy's biggest fan, I have to give credit where credit is due. A ten year old, stopping the plans of a major crime syndicate...impressive to say the least. Impressive, but also _very_ embarrassing. Throughout the years, most of our plans have been foiled by your son and his silly little friends, causing us to lose the fear we've worked to instill in the public for years."

Ghetsis stepped closer to the woman, "I was once the leader of Team Plasma, another organization in the Unova region. That was, until one Mr. Ash Ketchum came forward and ended not only my reign, but also successfully disbanded Team Plasma forever."

Although she didn't dare show it in fear of what Ghetsis would do to her, Delia was incredibly proud that Ash had done so much good for the world. The young mother then let her eyes leave Ghetsis and return to Giovanni.

The man's false smile fell and his eye's narrowed, finally revealing his true emotions, "It took a while, but I've finally decided that something needed to be done if I wanted Team Rocket to continue to be a force in this world. So, when Ghetsis approached me, saying he would like to help Team Rocket, I welcomed him with open arms. However, there was one thing we agreed we had to do before we could start doing the things we truly wanted. And that thing we had to do, was get rid of Ash Ketchum."

Delia felt a lump form in her throat and her eyes begin to water as she heard the man in the orange suit. He hadn't said exactly how he wanted to get rid of Ash, but she didn't like the implications.

Seeing that Delia was breaking down, sinister smirks returned to the two men's faces. Giovanni, being the leader of the operation, continued, "With Ash out of the way, there would be nothing stopping us from completely taking over. No Officer Jenny in the world can stop us, and I do believe it's safe to say that there is no one else quite like that son of yours. So the logical next step is simple... We kill Ash Ketchum."

As Giovanni finished speaking, Delia, whom was balling her eyes out, jumped up and spoke for the first time, "You will not hurt my baby! Do whatever you want to me, but leave Ash out of this!"

Delia had to fight back the overwhelming urge to attack the two men in front of her. She couldn't even get passed one of them, so she knew that trying to fight would just end in more pain for her.

Giovanni closed his eyes and breathed in happily; the woman's sobs were like music to his ears. Here in front of him was the one thing that would lead Ash to his demise. The only thing he could think of that could possibly be sweeter would be his greatest enemy's death and taking over not only the Kanto region, but the rest of the world as well.

"Well, that's a mighty nice offer you've made us. You're so willing to sacrifice yourself just for your son's safety, I respect that. I truly do. Though, that's not going to happen. You see, the only reason we need you is to bring Ash to us. That way he'll be at his most vulnerable, making him very easy to...dispose of. Much simpler than when we sent agents to shoot him dead."

Tears still cascaded down from Delia's eyes, but her mouth contorted into a scowl; the hatred she felt for these men had just increased immensely, "So you're using me to lure Ash here? Do you just want the sick pleasure of ending his life yourself? Huh? Answer me you sick bastard!"

Giovanni couldn't help it, he laughed at her words, "Oh, my dear, I couldn't care less how that boy meets his end. Though, I definitely wouldn't say no to killing him myself. I would absolutely love to hear him scream when his bones break, when his blood pools onto the ground, when I watch the life leave his eyes..."

Both Giovanni and Ghetsis closed their eyes, content looks on both of their faces as they breathed in deeply. Delia was horrified to say the least. These were the most sick and twisted people she'd ever had the displeasure of meeting, and their number one goal was to kill her beloved son.

She hoped otherwise, but she knew that Ash would come after her. There was no way he would leave his mother, knowing that she was in danger. That was just the kind of person he was. Had it been any other situation, Delia would have been extremely proud of her son for being so selfless. But now, Ash's ways could very well get him killed.

"But if I don't get the pleasure of ending that boy's pathetic life, then so be it. I have a hefty bounty on his head, open to any and all willing to attempt to either kill or capture Ash. Though, there is a higher reward for his capture alive, I don't think many of those hunting him will care either way. As long as they get some money, they don't care what happens."

Delia managed to stop her loud sobbing, instead only allowing copious amounts of tears to fall silently. She had to believe that her son would make it out of this situation alive, just as he always did.

Delia's head dropped before she mumbled something quietly, not quite loud enough for the men in the room to hear.

"I'm sorry Delia, could you repeat that please?" Ghetsis asked in mock politeness.

Delia lifted her head quickly, revealing the fire of confidence burning in her eyes, "Ash is going to survive. He is going to survive, and then he is going to take. You. Down."

Feeling that unwavering confidence radiating off of her managed to slightly unnerve the two men, but not enough to make them react visibly.

Without responding, Giovanni slowly made his way toward the exit of the cell as he motioned for Ghetsis to do the same. Delia's eyes never left the two men as they marched.

Facing away from her, Giovanni muttered something just loud enough for Delia to hear,

"I guess we'll see..."

With that said, they two exited the cell and soon after, the prisoner's ward entirely.

Once they were finally gone, Delia began panting. Her lungs burned as she looked toward the door the two men had just exited from. She hadn't even known she'd been holding her breath and now, she was paying for it.

Finally regaining some semblance of normalcy to her breathing patterns, Delia sat in absolute silence. This didn't last long, however, as soon, the look of confidence retreated from her face, leaving her looking just as she felt...

Terrified.

Without warning, the flood gates in her eyes released once again. Seeing no reason to pretend to be strong anymore, Delia sobbed as loud as she could, with only one thing on her mind.

_"Ash."_

* * *

**A/N: Well, there was chapter 11 of "A Trial of Will." Since the last time I posted a chapter for this story, I went back and revised the first 6 chapters and I've got to say, I really think my writing is improving greatly. I want to thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. I promise that I will not go on such a long hiatus again. My goal is to get a chapter out once every week, so look forward to that.**

**Also, there is a new poll on my profile. It has to do with certain characters returning to this story so please go there and vote. And the winner of the last poll will not be revealed, because I don't want people to know who Ash will end up with until it actually happens.**

**One last thing, I've been reading a story called, "The Road to Be a Pokemon Master: Kanto Arc" for a long while now and there is something the author, "FanaticLAguy06" does that I would like to do as well. In his author's notes, he answers questions from reviews so I would like to start doing that as well. So any questions you may have, leave them to me in a review or a message and I will answer them in the following chapter.**

**Thanks again for reading! See Ya!**


	12. A Kind Soul and The Events That Follow

"A hero is somebody who voluntarily walks into the unknown." - Tom Hanks

* * *

A Trial of Will

"Come on guys, we're almost there!" Paul yelled breathlessly over his shoulder.

The group ways less than a quarter mile away from Viridian City at this point. After moving almost constantly for what felt like forever, the group was spent.

Just after Ash began his trek toward Viridian with Serena, everyone else did their best to keep up with him. They managed to stay near his side for a while, but Ash was definitely right...he _was _the fastest out of everyone.

Not only was Ash faster, even with a full grown woman in his arms, but he also seemed to have the endurance of a triathlete. Everyone else had to stop running at some point, but Ash continued on, keeping true to his promise of not waiting for them.

From the edge of the forest to Viridian City was a little more than 4 and a half miles, and the group could only assume that Ash had sprinted the whole way. They never would have thought a feat such as this would have been possible, but seeing Ash's unwavering determination to help Serena made them truly believe that he'd done it

They group tried their best to keep their pace up, hoping that they wouldn't reach the city too long after Ash, but having had such a long day was affecting their stamina. They often found themselves needing breaks, though they were very short, just enough time to allow them to catch their breaths.

However, now that they were on the last leg of their journey, they pushed through the aching in their legs and the burning in their lungs, running as fast they could for the last half mile.

Now, the gang was just a few hundred meters from officially entering Viridian City, a place they hoped would be a safe haven for them, if only for a while. Everyone needed a good night's rest after such an eventful day.

They sprinted past the sign that read, "Welcome to Viridian City", officially arriving where they'd hoped to.

Content with finally reaching their destination, Paul, whom was leading the group, allowed himself to stop. Seeing this, the others did the same, all wheezing violently. Max had even fallen to his knees, his legs finally having enough of being abused for such a long period of time.

Silence fell over the group, giving them time to catch their breaths. The only sound being that of heavy panting.

It took a few minutes but eventually, everyone got their breathing to return to relative normalcy. They were still tired, however, as evident by the looks of exhaustion on their faces. Despite that, they knew they still had more important things to worry about.

Not being all that familiar with Kanto's cities, Paul turned to Brock, "Do you know where the hospital is?"

Having been in, or at least around Viridian City all his life, Brock nodded, "The hospital is in the same building as the pokemon center. It's not far, just up the road from here. I actually did my residency there."

Paul nodded, allowing Brock to lead the way to the center. It wasn't uncommon to see hospitals and Pokemon Centers merged into the same building. It just seemed more convenient, they both shared much of the same equipment and many injuries to humans also had something to do with pokemon. It was just much more advantageous for everyone.

The group rapidly approached the Pokemon Center, pausing momentarily to marvel at the sheer size of the building. It was massive, easily one of the biggest centers in not just Kanto, but the entire world. Despite most having seen it before, it was still a sight to behold.

Wanting to waste no more time, the gang passed through the automatic sliding glass doors of the building, entering the main lobby.

Not even needing to look at the signs to know where he was going, Brock proceeded toward the right side of the immense lobby, to the section that dealt with humans.

Followed closely by the others, Brock briskly passed a receptionist, paying her no mind, and walked through a set of door that would lead to a waiting room.

Brock didn't even have to open the door all the way to hear the commotion coming from inside.

"...what do you mean, you don't know yet!? You're a doctor, it's your job to know!" A familiar voice yelled.

Wanting to witness what was happening, Brock opened the doors all the way, allowing the group entry to the nearly empty waiting room.

There were only two people in the area. One was an older man, most likely in his 60's in a white jacket. His white mustache matched his snowy hair perfectly. They could only assume he was a doctor of some sort. And the other person, of course, was Ash.

They couldn't help but notice the angry, almost pleading look painted on Ash's face. Pikachu's was holding a similar expression as his trainer as he stood on the floor next to him.

That couldn't be good.

"Listen sir, I understand that you're worried, but you need to calm down, or else I'll have you escorted out of here... All I can tell you right now is that we aren't sure if the anti venom will work correctly or not. There was a lot of venom in her bloodstream and its already moved throughout her entire body. I will let you know when there is more news. For now, wait out here." The doctor explained.

Ash's mouth moved as if he preparing to say something, but no words came out. Instead, he let his mouth fall into a frown and closed his eyes before nodding his head.

The doctor turned to walk away, but was stopped when Ash grabbed the man's arm. The doctor quickly turned back toward the boy, looking him in the eye.

"Can I see her?" Ash pleaded, his voice low but hopeful.

The doctor sighed, he'd seen people respond like this too many times to count. It used to tug on his heartstrings but now, it only served to make him slightly angry. Angry that they were making him feel so somber. After so many years, he'd seemed to have forgotten just how broken a person could feel when a loved one was sick or hurt.

"I can't let you do that, not right now. There are still more things we need to do. If you want her to survive, then we need space to work. The only thing you can do right now... is pray." With that said, the doctor turned away, returning to the staff portion of the hospital.

He may not have meant to, but the doctor's words made Ash feel as if Serena's case was hopeless. That they were going to try to fix her, but he shouldn't get his hopes up. With that momentarily being the only thought in his mind, he collapsed to the floor, allowing a single tear to escape his eye.

Seeing this, Dawn, May and Misty rushed to Ash's side, crouching down and placing a comforting hand on him. Ash however, didn't even seem to notice their presence; he was too consumed with his thoughts, as evident by the blank stare he held with the carpeted floor below him.

Meowth also took this chance to attempt to comfort Ash, following the other's lead by placing a paw on the boy's leg. That left Brock, Paul, Max, Tracey and James still standing near the doors they had entered not long before.

"For as long a I've worked her, I've never seen something that tugged at my heartstrings quite like this." A feminine voice stated dolefully, startling the men.

They looked to their right, only to be met with the sight of a middle aged African American woman. They assumed she was a nurse or receptionist of some kind. She was stationed behind a counter, so it was most likely the latter.

"I'm sorry?" James asked.

The woman motioned her head toward Ash, "That boy over there. He came in here, drenched in sweat, carrying a girl. He pretty much threw her into the doctors arms, screaming at him to fix her. I've never seen anybody so distraught in my life."

"That's actually our friend, Ash. So is the girl, Serena's her name. She was stung by a Beedrill." Max said absentmindedly, still holding his gaze on Ash.

The woman nodded, "I heard. Do you know how long ago she was stung? My name is Rose by the way. Rose Lockhart." The newly identified Rose inquired.

Brock nodded in recognition, "I'm Brock, this is Paul, James, Tracey and Max. Anyways, about your question... it was..." Brock looked toward the clock hanging on the wall.

When he saw the time, his heart sunk. It had been much longer than he'd thought.

"How long ago did our friend get here?" Brock asked quickly.

"About 45 minutes before you did." Rose stated.

Brock breathed a small sigh of relief when he heard this revelation, "It's been about one hour and fifteen minutes, from the time of the sting to when Ash arrived."

Brock sounded oddly relieved when he said these words. The four other men realized why when they themselves looked at the time. It had taken them over two hours to get there, and Beedrill venom was commonly known to be able to kill an average person in that amount of time.

If Ash hadn't taken Serena, she'd be dead by now.

"Our friend...he sprinted here. He ran all the way from the north side of the forest separating Viridian from Pallet, never stopping once. If he'd stopped, then..." Paul choked on his words.

Rose allowed a sad smile to grace her features. It was obvious to tell that she was an exceptionally kind hearted woman, "That explains why he was so sweaty when he came in here...he must care about this Serena girl a lot."

For a moment, Paul actually smiled, "Yeah...he does."

"You should go check on your friend, help each other through this. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. I'll do whatever I can to help you all out." Rose stated kindly

James smiled, "Thank you Rose. We really appreciate it."

Rose brushed off the compliment with a smile before returning to the paperwork on her desk. Doing as the older woman said, the four men approached their friend, who had now migrated to one of the many chairs littering the room.

Ash's downcast look hadn't faded, and a similar expression was now being held by Dawn as well. Misty and May on the other hand, were doing their best to make the two think positively.

Not quite knowing what else to do, the group of men sat around the others. Everyone was scared, but some seemed to be handling it better than others. This was a prime reason as to why they needed each other, for situations where someone was down and needed the others to pick them back up.

Taking a chance, James spoke up, "Ash, she's going to be okay, You got her here in more than enough time. Serena will be fine."

Ash didn't respond. Instead, it was Dawn who spoke up, "Actually no...he might not have. Apparently, two hours is the time it takes for an average __male__to die from the venom. But for females it's...much less."

Everyone's eyes went wide. How did they not realize this? Though, it really didn't matter. Ash had gotten Serena here as fast as anyone could have; there was nothing they could do about it.

Not wanting another person's head to drop, Brock spoke up, "She's going to be alright. The doctors here are some of the best in the world. And Beedrill stings are fairly common, they know how to deal with this! Just have faith, she'll pull through."

For the first time in a while, Ash picked his head up, placing his gaze on Brock. He stared at the man in what seemed to be a look of both sadness and anger.

"And what if she doesn't, Brock? What if she doesn't pull through!? One of these days, our luck is going to run out. What if that day is today!?" Ash yelled, his voice breaking.

Flinching slightly at the onslaught of words, Tracey chimed in, "Ash, she is going to pull through! She's a fighter, just like you. She'd never let something so silly take her down. We can't mope about it all night, there was nothing anyone could have done."

Ash lowered his head once again, mumbling something into his hands, which now covered his face.

"Speak up Ash, we can't hear you." Misty said.

Quickly dropping his hands from his face and looking up, Ash spoke, "Yes there was! It's _my _fault that this happened! I promised that I would protect her, and yet here she is, knocking on deaths door."

As soon as he finished his speech, Ash began to sob, letting his emotions pour out. The others watched on in shock. Seeing Ash cry like this was hard to watch. He was the anchor of their group, the strong one, and seeing him break down always served to surprise and frighten them.

As they got over the initial shock, most began thinking just how ridiculous Ash was being. Though, they knew they shouldn't have been surprised, Ash was always the type of person who'd place blame on himself, even when he had no part in what happened.

Despite that, they could see how Ash might have felt this way. Not even a full day before this happened, he'd made a promise to protect everyone in the group, pledging that he would not allow anyone to get hurt. Yet, here they were, in a hospital, with Serena being treated for potentially lethal injuries.

"Ash, you have to stop blaming yourself for these things. You know as well as I do that there was no avoiding what happened." Brock told the younger man.

Paul listened intently to everyone's words, his face plastered with a look of anger and sadness. It actually looked as if he were holding back tears.

"You're wrong Brock..." Paul started, "Me and Ash made a promise to protect all of you with our lives, and we failed. I know no one wants to think this way, but Serena could _die_. So yes Brock, it is our fault. Don't try and tell us otherwise."

The group was astonished. Usually, Paul was very rational and level headed, but it seemed that something about this situation made him truly believe that what had happened was his and Ash's fault.

May listened to what was being said, knowing that being irrational was only hurting everyone more. Making sure to proceed with caution, the brunette spoke, "I want the both of you to look at me...

May paused for a moment, allowing the two men to do as she requested. After a few moments of silence, both Ash and Paul hesitantly raised their heads, locking eyes with the young coordinator.

Putting on a soft smile, May continued, "You have no idea how much it means to me, to all of us, that we have friends willing to put their own lives before ours; I cannot begin to thank you enough. But the thing is, you can't always be there to protect us..." May said.

"Yes we can, we just have to-" Ash started, only to be cut off again by the lovely brunette.

"No... you can't. Sometimes, things happen that no one can prevent. What happened to Serena is a perfect example of this. There was nothing that anyone could have done to prevent it. And Ash, you did more than enough. You carried Serena all the way here, not stopping even once! You're the reason that she's going to survive." May finished sweetly, the smile never leaving her face.

She then turned her attention solely to Paul, "Paul, I haven't known you for a long time, but I do know you were being completely honest when you promised to protect us. But as I said before, some things can't be prevented. Blaming yourself is only going to make this harder."

Both men sat in silence after May finished her speech, allowing what she'd said to sink in. The longer they sat, the more they realized just how right she was.

Seeing that they were beginning to believe her words, May added one final thought, "And I know, if there is ever a situation where you _can _do something to prevent one of us from getting hurt, you will. Ash, you have proven that to be true time and time again and I know that you, Paul, will do the same."

For the first time since Serena was stung, both Ash and Paul smiled. They realized now that there truly was no stopping what had happened. All they could do is help out wherever they could and pray that Serena would be alright. Even Dawn halted her tears as she realized the truth.

"How did you get so wise, May?" Ash teased, a smirk adorning his features.

"Well...I had a pretty great guy to learn from..." May answered, shooting a wink Ash's way.

Everyone smiled at the interaction, but was soon reminded of their current situation when the doors to the back of the hospital opened, revealing the same doctor that was speaking to Ash before.

Seeing the man march toward them, the smiles were wiped off of everyone's faces, instead replaced with looks of worry and concern.

Ash shot up from his chair, rushing toward the doctor, "What's going on, sir?"

The older man sighed, making the hearts of everyone sink, "There's good news, and there's bad news."

Seeing the fear on these young adults' faces, the doctor continued, "The good news is, the girl is responding positively to the anti venom. It's currently doing its job, ridding her bloodstream of the venom."

A glimmer of hope fluttered in the hearts of the group, but it was soon smashed when they realized that there was still bad news...

"And what's the bad news?" James asked timidly.

Sighing once again, the doctor spoke, "We've discovered something that is leading to some complications. Were any of you aware that she's allergic to Beedrill?"

The group looked to each other, confused, obviously no one knowing that fact about Serena. Most didn't even know it was possible to be allergic to a pokemon. Only Brock and Tracey seemed to truly understand the gravity of the situation.

"What does that mean, doctor?" Max inquired.

"She's slowly broken out into hives, and she was having difficulty breathing. We had to administer a breathing tube to help her do so. But the major problem is, I'm not sure just how effective the anti venom will be in her system. Being allergic to Beedrill isn't a very common thing. Sometimes, the anti venom works on these people. But other times...it doesn't."

Ash felt himself beginning to get choked up again, "So, what do we do now?"

"We've done all we can from a medical standpoint. All that's left to do is wait and hope for the best." The doctor finished.

At the news, some members of the group broke down, while others did their best to remain strong.

Ash was currently doing his best not to lose it once again. Serena needed him right now; he had to be at her side.

"Can I go see her?" Ash asked quietly, his voice devoid of any and all emotion.

"I don't think that's a very good idea..." The doctor trailed off.

Much like a similar time before, Ash snapped. He grabbed the doctor by his collar and hoisted him onto his tip toes.

"If you don't let me see her, you're not going to like what happens..." Ash threatened. His voice was full of malice, but there was also a hint of sadness evident as well.

Pikachu stood next to Ash, his trainers fury fueling him. His cheeks sparked, ready to attack when called upon.

Fearing for his safety, the doctor screamed, "Rose, call security and get this man out of here!"

When the doctor didn't hear a response after a few seconds, he glanced at the desk Rose was normally stationed behind.

He noticed the woman was standing, her arms crossed over her chest. Her facial expression showed both anger and disgust.

"I will do no such thing." Rose started lowly, "You are denying this boy the right to be by his friend's side when she needs him the most. I cannot, in good conscience, let that happen. Either you let him see her, or I'll turn a blind eye."

After not hearing a response for a while, Rose spoke once again, "Go ahead kid, do what you have to."

"WAIT!" The doctor panicked. "Wait...you can go see her. But only you! I can't have this many people in her room."

Ash quickly dropped the doctor from his elevated position and looked toward the friendly receptionist. After shooting her a thankful smile, the raven haired man rushed through the doors, beginning his search for Serena's room.

The doctor shot Rose a dirty look before returning to the back as well. The rest of the group then approached Rose.

"Is there anything else I can do for you all?" Rose asked politely.

The gang couldn't help but smile at her words. She'd just gotten Ash back to see Serena and yet here she was, asking if she could do even more.

"No thank you, Rose. You've already done more than enough." Brock smiled a the woman.

"Actually, I think there is one more thing I can do for you. Go over to Nurse Joy at the Pokemon Center portion of the building and tell her that Rose said to hook you up. It'll get you a couple of free rooms for the night." Rose finished.

The group was flabbergasted. How could there possibly be a person so kind. She reminded them greatly of a certain raven haired trainer...

"Rose, I'm very thankful, but I have to ask... Why are you doing all this for us?" Dawn inquired.

The older woman shot back a smile, "You seem like a nice group of people who've fallen on some rough times. I just figured that you all could use something good today. That, and... I know what it's like to lose someone you care about. I just don't want that to happen to you."

Rose finished somberly, giving a small glimpse into her past.

"Rose, I don't know who you lost, but I'm truly sorry. A woman like you should never have to go through something so terrible." Misty stated, realizing immediately what must have happened.

It turned out Misty's theory was correct. Rose smiled sadly in response, "Thank you. It was a while ago, but I still feel the pain sometimes. When I saw that boy rush in here with that girl in her arms, I swore that I would do whatever I could to help him; to make sure he doesn't have to go through what I did. And since you all are their friends, I want to help you as well."

The woman's story was enough to bring tears to the eyes of a few of the group members, who blinked them away immediately.

"Thank you again, Rose. We can never repay you for the kindness you've shown us today. We have hit a bit of a rough patch, but you're the glimmer of hope we needed to know that there is still good in this world. Thank you." Brock stated warmly.

Rose smiled, tears brimming her eyes, "Oh come on now, you're gonna make me cry! You're welcome! Now go on, you all need some rest."

The gang nodded and turned to leave. However, realizing something, Paul stopped in his tracks. He then looked back at the doors Ash had ran through not long ago.

Seeing this, Rose reassured the boy, "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on them both. I don't get off shift until 8 a.m anyway. You go get a good night's rest."

Directing a sincere smile to the woman, Paul resumed his walk to the center portion of the building, catching up with the group in no time.

After they left, Rose plopped back down in her chair, sighing in content. It really did feel good to help others. She was proud of her self.

She then let her gaze wander to a picture frame that sat on her desk.

"__I just hope you're proud of me too...___" _Rose thought, looking from the picture... to above.

* * *

In the halls of the hospital, Ash continued his search for Serena's room. He cursed himself for forgetting to ask where she was before rushing off blindly. Luckily, he saw a nurse exit one of the many rooms lining the halls.

Approaching her, Ash spoke, "Excuse me, do you know where Serena Yvonne's room is?"

The nurse nodded happily, "As a matter of fact, I do. She's on this floor, room 115."

Nodding in thanks, Ash took off, following the signs as not to get lost. Now that he knew where he was going, it didn't take long for him to find his desired room.

Wasting no more time, Ash stormed into room 115, Serena's room. As soon as he entered, he slowed to a walk as to not disturb anything within the room.

Finally, his eyes fell on her. She was hooked up to a heartbeat monitor, and as the doctor stated earlier, a breathing tube was inserted down her throat.

Pulling up a chair and placing it next to her bed, Ash finally got a good look of Serena herself. Her eyes and cheeks were slightly puffy, as common with allergic reactions. But what stood out the most were the hives that littered her delicate skin.

He cursed the Beedrill for making something so soft, so... beautiful become tainted. Though, he saw right past everything that was wrong with her. She was still Serena after all, an incredibly beautiful girl and Ash's childhood friend.

Carefully, Ash reached for her hand, grabbing it cautiously and holding it with both of his own. Feeling her cold touch on his skin made the dams break once again. Ash sobbed quietly for what seemed like an eternity, the only sounds being of his sniffling and his ever so often mumbling of Serena's name.

After a while, Ash remembered that there was no point in crying. She was _going _to make it through this. He swore that the only time he would be allowed cry about this again was when she woke up; and those tears would be of joy.

Now, his red eyes locked on Serena's unconscious form. She looked so delicate, so fragile. It pained him to see her in this state, but he found solace in knowing that she wouldn't be like this for long.

He slowly began rubbing his thumb over her soft hand, for his own comfort more than anything. He let his eyes wander to her face. Her beautiful face.

Ash knew that she wouldn't be able to hear him, but he felt like talking regardless.

"Serena...I'm so sorry this happened to you. You know, the more things happen, the more I wish I would have persuaded you guys to let me do this alone. But I know that never would have worked. You're always there for me, everyone is, no matter what's at stake." Ash stated, smiling.

"You've stuck by me in some of my darkest times and now, I'm going to do the same for you. I promise, I will not leave your side until you wake up. My smiling face will be the first thing you see when you're all better."

His lip quivered, but he didn't dare let any tears fall, "I need you to wake up Serena. You have to fight this! I can't do this without you... You may wonder why I so often risk my life for my friends. Well, I'll be the first to tell you that it isn't because I'm brave...far from it. The reason I'm so willing to sacrifice myself for you guys is because I am the biggest coward in the world..." Ash revealed somberly.

"I'm so afraid of being alone, of losing you, that I would rather die than let anything happen to you. That's why I need you to wake up, Serena. Please..."

Ash finished, putting his head down, still holding Serena's hand. He knew he shouldn't, but he felt the tear begin to well up in his eyes once again.

However, these tears dried up immediately when he felt what had to be a sign, a glimmer of hope. He couldn't be sure, but he could have sworn he felt Serena's fingers curl around his own.

He didn't know if he was imagining things or not, but he didn't care. That was all he needed.

And for just the second time that day

Ash smiled.

Ash spent hours sitting by Serena's side, just staring at her unconscious form, thinking of nothing but her. For the first time that night, he yawned. He then reluctantly stripped his eyes from Serena and glanced to the clock hanging on the wall. He was surprised to see that it was already 3 in the morning. He'd been sitting there for hours.

It didn't matter, however. As he said, Ash didn't plan on leaving Serena's side until she woke up. Though, sleep did sound pretty good right about then. The boy proceeded to place his head on the bed, closing his eyes in an attempt to find peace for the night. Pikachu though, had already managed to fall asleep. He currently laid in the space between Serena's legs.

His endeavor was thwarted, however, when he heard a knock on the door. At first, he was annoyed at the perpetrator; he imagined it was going to be someone telling him that he would need to leave, something he would refuse to do.

However, when he saw the person, any negative feelings that were developing disappeared. How could he be upset when this person had done nothing but help him and his friends since they'd met. In the doorway stood the helpful secretary.

"Hey Rose. What are you doing here?" Ash asked, remembering the woman's name from when the doctor asked to have him removed from the building.

"Just checking up on you two. I promised your friends I would make sure you're doing okay. I sent them over to the pokemon center to get some rest." Rose responded.

Ash smiled in thanks, "I really appreciate you taking such good care of us, Rose. True kindness is a rare thing nowadays."

Rose smiled sadly, "Yeah, that is something I've noticed over the years. It seems like people are too busy to be nice anymore."

Ash nodded his head in agreement. He then looked toward Serena again, his eyes lingering.

Rose pulled up a seat, sitting next to Ash. She then asked something she'd been wondering for a while, "There's more going on than just the Beedrill sting, isn't there? Something bigger."

Ash's eyes returned to the older woman, a shocked expression on his face, "How did you-..."

"I've always been good at reading people. For an old woman, my brain still works pretty well." Rose joked, knocking her fist on her head.

A smile returned to Ash's features at the woman's words.

"So, want to tell me what's going on? Maybe I can help." Rose stated.

Ash sighed, "Trust me, this is not something that you could help me with."

Rose put on a confident smirk, "Try me."

Ash put on a smirk of his own, "Shouldn't you be working right now?" Seeing the woman shrug, he continued, "Alright, well-"

The trainer froze mid sentence, his smirk fading as he asked himself one question. Should he trust this person? After what happened in the forest with Thomas, he knew he had to be more careful with who he put faith in. Though, he couldn't deny how helpful Rose had been to himself and his friends.

She couldn't be a member of Team Rocket, no way... Could she?

"__No! If I have to lose trust in everyone, then what's the point in living___?" _Ash thought to himself. Though, he knew he still needed to tread carefully.

He returned his gaze to the older woman, who looked confused as to why he'd stopped mid sentence. Ash decided that he would only give her _some_ information.

Taking a deep breath, Ash began, "Have you ever heard of Team Rocket?" Seeing Rose nod her head, he continued, "Well...let's just say that they took something from me; something very dear to my heart. Me and my friends are trying to get it back."

Taking the hint that he didn't want to give out specifics, Rose spoke, "That sounds awfully dangerous. It must be something very special to you to be taking on a criminal organization."

Ash nodded, "It is. And I already know, this is probably the most reckless thing I've ever done. You don't know just _how _dangerous this is, for me especially. But I can't let them keep what they've taken. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get it back, even if it means losing my life."

Rose's eyes widened in surprise, "That's very bold of you to say. If you don't mind me asking, how did your friends get pulled into this? It seems like this only has to do with you."

Ash turned his gaze to the ground and smiled, "I told them that it was going to be dangerous, that I didn't want them to come, but they wouldn't have that. There was no way they were going to let me do something so reckless alone...I truly have the best friends in the world."

"They must really care about you." Rose stated, to which Ash agreed.

"That's why this is so hard. I promised all of them that I would do whatever it took to protect them. That I would put their life before mine, and I meant it too. And yet here we are, in a hospital room, with one of my best friends so badly hurt." Ash said somberly, returning his gaze to Serena.

"I understand there was nothing I could have done, but I somehow still feel responsible. And seeing her like this is so...so..."

"Painful?" Rose finished for the boy, to which he nodded. "I know how it feels..."

Hearing her words, Ash looked toward Rose, watching as sadness washed over her features. Without looking away from the boy, the woman continued, "I know how it feels to watch someone you love so close death."

Rose paused, trying to figure out how to say what she would next, "I lost my husband and son in a car accident nearly 15 years ago."

Ash's mouth went agape, his eyes leaving Serena as he felt anguish wash over his body. Even though it was 15 years in the past, Ash still wondered how the receptionist could act so chipper when something so tragic had impacted her life.

"We were going to visit Cerulean City for our anniversary. We didn't have much money, so we thought that going to see the water show at the Cerulean Gym would have been a fun, inexpensive experience. Our son was only three at the time, but he was so excited to see all of the water pokemon. His little face lit up anytime we talked about the trip." Rose added with a sad smile.

Taking a deep breath, she continued, "But as we were about to leave Viridian, another car swerved into our lane and we collided head on. I remember waking up in this very hospital with an awful headache. But once I got my bearings, I could only think about my family. They wouldn't tell me what happened, so for the two days I was forced to recover, I had no idea what happened to them."

Rose scoffed, "They said I was lucky. I only had some bruising and a mild concussion. The real pain didn't come until they told me what happened."

The woman wiped away a tear as she struggled to find her words.

Seeing this, Ash put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "You don't have to keep going, it's okay."

After a few moments, Rose regained her composure and shook her head, "It's fine, I want you to hear this. My husband...he was killed at the scene. And my baby boy, he was in critical condition. I made them rush me to him and I sat by his side just staring at him, much like you're doing now."

"I was forced to watch as my three year old son slowly lost the will to live. After four painful days, he passed away. I've never been more heartbroken in my life."

Ash couldn't believe that this woman wasn't in tears at the moment. How could something so terrible happen to such a great person? The world truly is an unfair place.

"Despite the pain I felt, I found peace in knowing that they were together... Their deaths motivated me...motivated me to do whatever I could to make sure as few people as possible would have to go through what I did. At first I wanted to become a doctor, but I've never been that smart, so there was no way I would be able to do that. So instead, I settled for menial work at the hospital. Being a receptionist allows me to help people deal with what happens to them." Rose finished.

Ash looked on in amazement. He was sure that if something like that had happened to him, he wouldn't have been able to go on. And yet, here Rose was, using her tragedy to help others through their own. He knew at that moment that he admired her greatly.

"When I saw you sitting here, staring at her, it reminded me of my son and I. It reminded me exactly why I do this job. The care you show for her warms my heart, so I want to be here to help you and make sure you know that everything is going to turn out alright." Rose added, all traces of sadness leaving her features.

Ash then let a teasing smile overtake his features, "What, are you a psychic or something?"

Rose smirked, "Yeah...or something."

With that said, the older woman stood from her chair and turned to leave.

Noticing this, Ash stood and reached his arm out, "Rose, wait!"

Hearing the boys voice, Rose turned, only to be captured in a hug by the much taller man.

"Thank you. You're an incredible person." Ash whispered into her ear, making the woman smile. The two then released from the embrace.

"Just remember, Ash Ketchum, have faith. Your friend _will _wake up." Rose said.

The boy smiled and nodded. However, he quickly became confused as to how she knew his last name. He didn't remember telling her. Though, one of his friends could have mentioned something.

Recognizing where the confusion was stemming from, Rose smiled and spoke, "What? You don't think I'd recognize the winner of the Indigo League?"

Ash smiled at the woman's response. With everything that was going on, he'd honestly forgot what he'd accomplished such a short time ago.

With that said, Rose took her leave, returning to her post in the waiting room.

Sighing happily, with knew found faith that Serena would awaken, Ash retook his seat on the chair. Allowing another yawn to exit his mouth, he placed his head next to Serena's body, reaching to grasp her hand in his once again.

Once in a comfortable position, Ash drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The group approached Nurse Joy and told her what Rose had advised them to say. As promised, they were provided three free rooms for the night.

Before they branched off to their assigned rooms, they all agreed that they would return to the hospital at eight the next morning. They hoped that by this time, Serena would be doing well enough to where they would all be able to see her.

Paul mentioned to Brock that he should keep the door to their room unlocked incase Ash decided to come back. However, Brock simply smiled and shook his head. Knowing Ash, he would not be leaving Serena's side anytime soon.

The gang managed to get a good night's sleep. After everything that had happened that day, to say that they were exhausted would be an understatement.

At 7:55 the next morning, the group met in the lobby, ready to see Serena. Wasting no more time, the gang entered the hospital's waiting room once again.

Again, it was relatively empty, a good thing when talking about hospital waiting rooms. The group then noticed Rose, who was currently packing up her things behind the desk.

The older woman, noticing the young adults approaching, gave them a wave, "Hey, good morning everyone."

"Hello Rose, good morning to you as well! Getting ready to leave?" Brock inquired.

The older woman nodded, "Yes I am. Finally heading home to get some sleep."

"Before you go, did you get a chance to check on Ash and Serena?" Paul inquired.

"I sure did. I had a nice, long conversation with Ash late last night. And the doctors said that Serena is showing signs of improvement. Everything is going just perfect." Rose stated happily.

The news, along with Rose's cheery tone made the group hopeful. Things seemed to be finally looking up for them. Viridian truly was providing to be the sanctuary they hoped it would be.

"Do you think it would be okay if we went back and saw Serena?" Dawn inquired.

"Just go ahead. If anyone tries to stop you, tell them Rose said it was okay. She's in room 115 on the first floor." Rose said with a wink, making the group giggle.

"Thank you Rose, for everything." Tracey said. Rose simply brushed the thanks off.

"It's what I'm here for." She said. Then, an idea struck her. There was one more thing she felt she could do for these people, "If you're up for it, then why don't you all come to my house for dinner tonight. I'll make a nice home cooked meal for you all."

At this point, no one was shocked by the pure kindness this woman displayed. She was obviously the best kind of person the world had to offer.

"We wouldn't want to intrude..." May began.

"Oh please, I insist! Here, let me write down my address for you." Rose took a pen and a small piece of paper from her purse, wrote down her address, and handed it to Brock. "It's a small house, right in the center of Viridian. How does 7 o clock sound?"

"Perfect, thank you so much." Brock began. "Actually, I'm a bit of a chef myself. I would be happy to help you prepare the meal."

"Thank you kindly Brock, I would love some help." Rose stated.

Everyone looked eager to have a nice home cooked meal that night, everyone except for Paul.

Paul decided he needed to speak his concern, "Actually Rose, I don't think we'll be able to attend."

The group looked at Paul in confusion. Only the receptionist seemed to know what Paul was thinking.

"I mean, Serena still hadn't woken up and frankly, I don't feel comfortable having fun without her. And Ash definitely won't leave her side, so that would leave him out too. We appreciate the offer, really, but we'll have to decline."

Knowing that Paul's words rung true, the rest of the group let their heads drop in shame. Here they were, forgetting all about Serena for free food. Rose on the other hand, continued to hold a smile on her face. In fact, she was...laughing?

"I understand, but I have a feeling Serena is going to be waking up much sooner than you think. If she does, then please do come. I would love to treat you all to a nice meal." Rose stated.

If Serena and Ash were there, then Paul would be more than happy to attend the dinner. If Serena woke up and was cleared to leave before seven, then he agreed that they would go.

With everything taken care of, Rose took her leave. Just as the older woman left, a man they presumed was her replacement entered. He smiled at the group of young adults before taking a seat behind the desk, confirming their suspicion.

The gang then proceeded through the doors, in search of Serena's room. It didn't take long to reach room 115 since they knew where they were going. Without knocking, they entered the room.

The first thing they noticed was Serena. She didn't look as bad as the night before, but she was still covered in hives. However, they noticed the breathing tube mentioned the day before was absent. She must have improved enough to the point where she could breath well enough on her own. A very good sign.

They then noticed Ash. His head was down on the bed, obviously asleep. A smile crept up on Paul's face when he noticed the locked hands of the two. It wasn't long after that everyone else saw it as well.

May and Dawn, who normally would have been jealous at such an act, felt only genuine happiness. They knew that had it been them on that bed, Ash would be doing the same thing for them.

Feeling as if he was being watched, Ash slowly stirred awake. He sat up, stretching out his back all the while; sleeping while slouching over was far from the most comfortable position. He then rubbed any sleepiness he still held out of his eyes, using only one hand, since the other was still in possession of Serena.

It was then that he noticed the new arrivals to the room. Shooting them a tired smile, Ash spoke, "Hey guys, how'd you sleep?"

"Really well, Ash. It was definitely nice to sleep in a bed." Misty answered.

"How's Serena doing?" May inquired.

Ash smiled brightened, "Really well! At around five this morning, the doctor came in and said she was responding perfectly normal to the anti venom. They took out the breathing tube and they say that as soon as she wakes up, she should be able to leave!"

It was easy to tell that Ash was absolutely ecstatic. His smile was infectious as everyone's faces lit up as well at the news.

"That's fantastic! So, how did you sleep Ash." Dawn asked.

The smile didn't leave the trainer's face as he responded, "It was a little tough to fall asleep at first. I was just so scared for Serena that my brain wouldn't rest. But then I had a talk with Rose, and she helped me realize that Serena was going to make it through this. And it turns out she was right! I can't remember the last time I've been this relieved!"

"That's incredible news! I really hope she wakes up soon. Oh and by the way, Rose invited us to have dinner at her house tonight. We agreed, but only if Serena woke up beforehand." Tracey stated.

Ash nodded in response, "She really is an incredible person, isn't she? She's done so much for us."

Ash received head nods from all around the room, signaling that they agreed. There were three open seats left, which Dawn, Max and Misty took. The rest of the gang opted to sit on the floor. Normally, Ash would have happily given up his seat. However, giving up his seat would also mean giving up his spot next to Serena, something he wasn't willing to part with at the moment.

For the next few hours, everyone just talked, forgetting about most everything for a little while as they patiently waited for Serena to wake up.

No one said it, but they all knew that they needed this time, lest they go crazy from all the stress they've been experiencing lately. Having a moment to relax felt amazing.

Though, they weren't naïve enough to think that it would last. Soon, they would be back on the road, dong their best to avoid Rockets out to get Ash, all the while marching right into the heart of the beast. They still had to save Ash's mother, no one could forget that fact.

It was quickly approaching noon and Serena had still yet to awaken. Max, feeling a rumble in his stomach, spoke up, "Hey guys, do you think we could get some food? I'm starving.

Until he said it, no one realized just how hungry they actually were. They hadn't eaten since fairly early the day before.

"Yeah, let's head to the cafeteria over at the pokemon center and grab some food." Tracey suggested.

Everyone seemed to be in agreement. Ash, however, didn't want to go. Even though he was hungry, he'd made a promise... a promise he intended to keep.

"You guys go ahead, I'm going to stay here with Serena." Ash said with a smile.

It was obvious why Ash wanted to stay, he wouldn't have left anyone's side if they were in the same situation. Though knowing Ash, he was probably starving.

With this in mind, Brock spoke up, "We'll bring you back some food, Ash."

The trainer shot his friend an appreciative glance just before they stood up and left the room, leaving Ash and Serena alone once again. This whole time, Ash never let go of Serena's hand. He hoped that somehow, it was bringing her comfort.

Staring at her with a sad smile, Ash began to speak, once again hoping that somehow, she was hearing his words, "Serena, please wake up soon. I can't stand seeing you like this, even when I know you're going to be okay. For me, Serena... Wake up for me."

Despite his words, Serena still didn't move.

"_It was worth a shot..." _Ash sighed to himself.

However, it was then he felt Serena's hand curl around his own, much more tightly than the night before. Ash's eyes rushed to her hand, confirming that it wasn't just his mind playing tricks on him.

His gaze then flew to the rest of Serena, which was currently stirring. Ash filled with hope as he continued to gaze. After a few seconds, her eyes began to flutter, soon revealing her beautiful blue eyes.

At this point, Ash was standing from his chair, hovering over the girl, his face just above hers. And as he promised the night before, the first thing Serena saw when she woke up was Ash's smiling face.

Serena was still feeling some of the effects of the venom and the allergic reaction, but they were light. Her throat was also sore. Mostly though, she just felt weak and slightly tired.

"Ash? What are you doing?" Serena asked groggily. Though, seeing Ash's smiling face above her made her grin as well.

"You're awake!" Ash screamed as he enveloped in a hug. Well, as close to a hug as he could while she was laying on a bed. Serena blushed and returned the hug, not really knowing what was going on.

"Pika!" Pikachu added, leaping into Serena's arms, making the woman giggle.

"Where are we, Ash?" Serena inquired, looking around the room, noticing the various machines.

Ash managed to calm down slightly before responding, "We're in the hospital in Viridian City. Don't you remember what happened?"

As soon as the words passed Ash's lips, the memories of what happened to her came flooding back. She remembered being stung by the Beedrill and then feeling extremely woozy, but that was it. She realized they must have made it to Viridian City and she had been treated for the sting.

She was going to speak again, but she was beaten to the punch by Ash, "Don't move, I'm going to go get the doctor!"

Without even waiting for a reply, Ash sprinted out of the room. Serena blinked a few times before sighing.

As he left the room, Ash noticed his friends coming toward him with food in their hands. Slowing to a halt, Ash spoke, "Guys, she's awake! I'm going to find the doctor."

Again without waiting for a reply, Ash took off running. It took a while, but the group of friends eventually registered what Ash had just told them. Immediately, smiles broke out amongst them as they hurried into Serena's room.

Seeing the rest of her friends enter, Serena smiled and spoke horsely, "Hey guys! What's up?"

Seeing the relieved faces everyone held, she could tell that they were all extremely worried about her. She was glad that she had people that cared so much for her wellbeing.

Instead of responding, they all swarmed Serena, giving her the most physically uncomfortable group hug any of them had ever experienced.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Serena. We were worried sick! Especially Ash, he didn't leave your side once!" Misty said happily.

Serena blushed lightly. That was so like Ash, never one to leave a friend's side when they need him. She then asked something that had been bugging her, "How long was I unconscious?"

"Just through the night. It's actually only been about 11 hours since you passed out." James stated, glancing at the clock hung in the room.

At this point, Ash returned with the doctor. It was a different man than the night before, something everyone was grateful for; his bedside manner was terrible.

"Ms. Yvonne, I'm glad to see you awake. How are you feeling?" The doctor inquired. He was younger than the other doctor, probably in his mid 40's. He was clean shaven and wore a pair of thick glasses on his face.

"Okay, for the most part. I feel a bit weak and my throat is kind of sore but other than that, I'm fine." Serena responded honestly.

The doctor nodded his head in understanding, "Those are both normal occurrences. The anti venom we administered tends to leave people feeling weak for a while. Your full strength should return in just a few hours. And the sore throat is from the breathing tube we had to administer. You weren't breathing well when you first arrived, so we had no other option."

Serena nodded in understanding, watching as the doctor wrote some things down on the clipboard in his hands. She then looked to Ash. Seeing his bright, warm smile made any weakness she felt fade for a moment.

The doctor fixed his glasses and looked up from his clipboard, "Well Ms. Yvonne, you are a very lucky young lady."

Seeing the confusion on the blonde girl's face, the doctor continued, "It turns out that you are allergic to Beedrill, which caused quite a few complications. You also managed to arrive just in the knick of time. Had you gotten here any later, then you most likely would not have survived."

Serena's eyes widened at the doctors words. She knew Beedrill stings were dangerous, but she couldn't believe she almost died! She also had no idea that she was allergic to Beedrill. She would be sure to stay as far away from them as possible from that point on.

"I'll need to do a few tests but if everything looks right, you should be out of here within the hour." The doctor told the young woman, who smiled happily in return. The doctor then turned to the other members of the group, "I'm going to have to ask you guys to leave for a while. I need space to perform these tests."

Everyone agreed, but Ash looked hesitant. Noticing this, Serena shot him a look of reassurance. Smiling back at the blonde woman, Ash agreed.

The group then returned to the waiting room to wait for the tests to be performed. After 45 minutes, the doctor passed through the doors into the waiting room, "I'm going to retrieve her discharge papers. She'll need to sign a few things and then she is free to go. You all can go back and be with her again if you'd like.

They didn't need to be told twice. With Ash leading the charge, the gang took off toward Serena's room. The found it quickly and entered.

"Hey Serena, you need anything before you leave?" Ash asked happily.

Serena kept her head down and responded shyly, "Um...I'm kind of thirs-.

"I'm on it!" Ash exclaimed before leaving the room in search of water.

Brock noticed how Serena kept her head down. He could only assume she was upset about something, so he decided to try and cheer her up, "He carried you here all the way here you know."

Knowing that Ash was no longer in the room, Serena looked up. It was then that Paul jumped in, "Not only did he carry you, he sprinted all the way here. Over four miles without stopping. You really motivated him, that's for sure."

At hearing what Ash had done for her, Serena allowed a stupid grin to appear on her face. She knew this already, but it was nice to be reminded that the boy she loved cared for her so deeply.

"Serena, why did you look so down just a minute ago?" Dawn inquired, asking what the others were thinking.

Making sure Ash hadn't returned yet, Serena explained, "I'm not sad, quite the opposite really. It's just, I've got all of these hives on my face and...I'm kind of embarrassed to have Ash see me like this..."

Putting a comforting hand on her shoulder, Brock spoke, "Serena, he was with you all last night. He's already seen you like this." This seemed to horrify the girl further. Noticing this, Brock continued, "You know that Ash doesn't care about that kind of stuff. It wouldn't matter if you didn't have a face at all, he would still care about you the same."

Although Serena knew that Brock's words were true, she couldn't help but still feel embarrassed. Despite Ash not really caring for appearances, Serena still always wanted to look her best around him; It made her feel confident.

Noticing her lingering hesitancy, Paul chimed in, "If you don't believe us, then why don't you ask him yourself."

As if on cue, Ash appeared in the doorway, a bottle of water in hand, "I got you some water, Serena. Got it from the cafeteria."

As he handed the blonde the water, Brock spoke once again, "We'll wait for you guys in the lobby."

Taking the hint, everyone followed the pokemon doctor to the hospital lobby once again. Paul made sure to take Pikachu as well, wanting to leave the two alone. This left just Ash and Serena, the latter of which putting her head down once again.

Noticing Serena's position, Ash also assumed that she was sad about something, "Serena, what's wrong?"

Without raising her head, Serena spoke, "Nothing's wrong, Ash. Really. It's just..." Her face reddened as she prepared to speak again, "I'm a little embarrassed about you seeing my face. I mean... I'm covered in hives."

Hearing this, Ash couldn't help it, he laughed. This worried Serena slightly. She was feeling insecure and despite knowing that Ash would never laugh at her, she was concerned.

After a few moments, Ash turned serious, "Serena, there is nothing you could say or do that should make you embarrassed around me, you know that."

Serena continued to keep her face hidden, "I know, it's just..."

Serena trailed off as she felt her chin being lifted. Against her better judgement, she allowed Ash to lift her head. The two were now face to face, only inches separating one another.

Not removing his hand from Serena's face, Ash spoke, "Serena...no matter what's on your face, you are still one of the most beautiful girls I have ever seen. So don't be embarrassed about a few temporary rashes. You're beautiful and you know it."

Serena's cheeks flushed at his words and their proximity to each other. Unconsciously, Serena's eyes closed and she began leaning in. She couldn't be sure, but she swore she felt Ash lean in as well. When just millimeters separated their lips, a knock was heard at the door, causing the two to backtrack immediately.

The doctor stood in the open doorway, the discharge papers in his hand, "Was I interrupting something?"

"No!" Ash exclaimed hastily. Serena didn't say anything. Instead, she shot the man a look that could kill.

* * *

After signing a few things, the two were able to leave. They caught up with their friends in the lobby and decided that they would take a look around Viridian for any signs of Team Rocket. They advised that Serena should stay behind since she still wasn't 100 percent, but she refused. She felt okay enough to walk around and she wanted to help.

With everyone reluctantly agreeing to allow Serena to come, the group left the building. Pikachu was currently riding on Ash's shoulder as he led the group around.

After they took a few steps outside, Tracey spoke up, "So James, do you know if there's a Team Rocket base or something here in Viridian?"

James shook his head in the negative, "Sadly no, I have no idea. I was just a grunt, a very low level cog in the machine that is Team Rocket, and we were told almost nothing. The only base I know of is the one in Celedon City, and the only reason I even know where that one is located is because that's where I was trained. But even still, that one very well could have been moved by now. Giovanni knows when he's overstayed his welcome."

"Meowth? Any idea?" Ash quizzed the scratch cat pokemon.

"I don't know either. I was also trained in Celedon, that's where me, James and Jessie all met for the first time. That's the only base I know of." Meowth responded.

"Well, we should still have a look around town, see if we can find any evidence of Team Rocket in these parts. It is one of Kanto's biggest cities after all." Misty stated.

"True, but that may be a reason why there _isn't _a base here. It would be much to obvious to place what is supposed to be a secret hideout in such a large city." James explained.

"Still, there's no harm in looking around. We have nothing to lose." Max added.

Nodding in agreement, the gang continued forward.

"Hey, why don't we go to the police station? Do they even know what's happened?" May questioned.

Nearly everyone sweat dropped upon hearing May speak. How could they have forgotten to do something so important? They could have more help in the search.

One of the few people who remained stoic was Paul, "I agree we should tell the police, but it's not going to help much. They've been after Giovanni and Team Rocket for years and have yet to catch him. And if they can't find him, then they won't be able to find Ash's mother either."

Everyone saw Paul's point and agreed that their first stop in Viridian City would be the police station. Max, remembering that they could now get a home cooked meal from Rose that night, checked his pokegear to find the time. He saw it was just about 1: 30 p.m, leaving them with five and a half hours to search around the city, which, Max imagined, should be ample time.

Because Viridian City was so large, Brock estimated the walk to the police station would take around 20 minutes.

Since it would take awhile, Max reminded everyone about dinner, "Now that Serena's awake, we can go to dinner at Rose's house tonight!"

May salivated at the thought of a delicious meal, "Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that!"

Both Ash and Serena were confused, though for different reasons.

"When did Rose invite us for dinner?" Ash inquired

"Who's Rose?" Serena wondered vocally.

"To answer your question Ash, this morning when we were coming to see Serena. Though, we said we would only go if Serena woke up in time; we didn't want to leave you both behind." Paul stated, to which Ash smiled appreciatively. Serena still looked confused.

Taking the reigns, Brock explained, "Rose was the receptionist at the hospital. She was incredibly helpful to us. She was the only reason Ash was allowed to be with you throughout the night. She's done a lot for us, including inviting us for dinner at her house tonight at seven."

"She really helped me deal with my fear of losing you. I was so scared that you were going to leave me, that I didn't know what to do. But then, she told me about her past and why she was so kind to us and it made me realize that you _were _going to wake up. You wouldn't leave us like that, that's not who you are." Ash stated sweetly, causing Serena to blush for what seemed like the millionth time that day.

Accompanying her blush was a large smile. As always, hearing how much Ash cared for her warmed her heart and made her feel exceptionally special. That was one of the many reasons why she loved him so much.

"You said she told you why she does such kind things. Care to tell us the reason?" Tracey asked politely. Him, like the others had been wondering why Rose was such a kind woman. They knew very well that may be just the kind of person she is, but they were also curious if there may have been something in her life that had caused her to be like this.

As they still had a long walk ahead, Ash decided to tell them what she'd revealed to him. He spoke of her family, the tragedy, and how it motivated her to help others.

By the time her was done, there was not a dry eye around. Even Paul became a bit misty at the story.

"...And that's it. That's why she does what she does. She said the way I watched over Serena reminded her of herself and her son." Ash finished.

"Wow, what an incredible woman. I don't think I could have gone on after that." May said, wiping away a tear.

The others were in complete agreement. Even Serena, who'd never met Rose, was certain that she was a great person.

By the time Ash finished the story, the group caught their first glimpse of the police station, less than a quarter-mile ahead of them. They continued on, getting lost in menial conversation.

They were broke out of their discussion as a loud explosion rang out from in front of them. Looking ahead, they saw the police station, completely obliterated, its remains left ablaze.

At the first sound, the group hit the ground, not knowing exactly how far away the explosion was from them. Once they saw it was at the police station not 2000 yards ahead of them, they slowly and carefully regained their footing.

Shock painted the faces of everyone in the group. Screams from various people running frantically through the streets could be heard.

"You don't think..." Misty trailed off breathlessly.

After this was said, Ash glanced to his friends, who looked back at him in response, before he took off toward the explosion.

"Ash!" May yelled as her and the others ran to catch up with the boy.

Paul, being quite fast himself, managed to catch up to the boy when they were less than 1000 feet from the rubble that used to be the largest police station in Kanto.

Ash struggled to break free of Paul's grip, but the purple haired trainer had a death grip on the taller man.

"Ash, no! You know as well as I do who did this! We can't run into this recklessly, we have to be careful! They're here to kill you!" Paul pleaded aggressively.

After Paul finished speaking, the rest of the group caught up to the two men. Seeing Paul having a hard time controlling Ash, Brock and Tracey ran up to help him. Now with three people holding him, there was no way that Ash was getting away.

This gave Ash time to think about what he was doing. He was planning on rushing in to help any survivors but now that he had time to think, he realized...

There would be no survivors.

There couldn't have been.

There was nothing left...

Team Rocket had just killed a number of honest police officers. Ash's breathing became heavy as anger rushed through his system. However, he controlled himself, knowing that rushing into this could be the last mistake he would ever make.

Seeing that he stopped struggling, the three men let Ash go. Though, they did continue to keep a close eye on him just in case.

Then, from around the corner, came three rocket grunts. Luckily, they had yet to see the group as they were facing the result of their carnage.

Seeing this, James' eyes bulged, "We have to hide...now!"

Not needing to look to know that there were grunts around, the group ran behind one of the many houses that lined both sides of the street they were on.

Now that they were out of sight, they finally got a good look of the grunts. They looked fairly standard, not huge and not small, just...average. There was two guys and a girl examining the damage done to the station.

No one was stupid enough, however, to think that these were the only rocket members in the city. Their thoughts were confirmed when a true mountain of a man and one other woman came into view.

The grunts talked to one another for a while, before turning away from the downed police station. They then began walking down the street, getting closer to the group of friends by the step.

"Shit! What do we do?" Tracey whispered.

Ash was about to respond when they heard a sound from behind them. The jumped in fear, praying that it wasn't another rocket grunt. When they turned around, everyone breathed a silent sigh of relief. Standing half inside the house they were hiding behind, was what had to be an off duty Officer Jenny.

"Hurry up! Get in here!" The officer said, just loud enough for the gang to hear. Not needing any further motivation, the gang ran up the porch stairs and into the house. Once everyone was inside, Jenny shut the door silently and locked it.

As she turned around, she noticed that all eyes were on her. It was to be expected, she supposed, she was an officer of the law, and something _very _illegal had just happened. Something Jenny knew she wouldn't be able to get over for a long time.

A few of her relatives and partners were in that building when it exploded, and she wasn't dumb enough to think there was even a chance that they survived. However, she couldn't think about that at the moment. She had to help civilians; that was her duty.

"Are you all alright?" Jenny asked.

Receiving a series of head nods in response, Jenny sighed in relief; that made things much easier.

"Officer Jenny, what happened?" Max asked, although he already knew the answer.

Jenny sighed, "I'm not totally sure. All I know is that Team Rocket is here and the police station is in ashes. From there, your guess is as good as mine."

Jenny walked quickly around the house, closing blinds and pulling curtains, doing anything that would block the windows. The group followed her into the living room, where she pulled the last curtain closed.

Officer Jenny breathed out a long breath and sat down on the couch. She then began muttering to herself, though it was loud enough for everyone to hear, "Why would they do this? What do they have to gain from blowing up the police station?"

Officer Jenny soon found herself thinking of her fallen partners and relatives as tears began to well in her eyes. She quickly blinked them away, however, remembering there were people she still needed to help.

Turning her attention back to the group, Jenny spoke, "Are you locals?"

She received a number of head shakes in response.

"We came up from Pallet Town" Brock said.

Jenny nodded, "What's your business here?"

Ash, who'd managed to keep his head level, decided now would be as good a time as any to explain why he thought Team Rocket had done this.

Taking a deep breath, Ash began, "Officer Jenny, Team Rocket destroyed my home and kidnapped my mother a few days ago."

Jenny's eyes widened. Ash however, gave her no time to respond before he continued, "They took her because in the past, I've stopped many of their plans. You may have heard of me, my name is Ash Ketchum."

Jenny's face then lit up in recognition. Ash Ketchum was a name known to pretty much every officer worldwide. It was common knowledge that he'd had a part in stopping a number of major criminal organizations in the past. He was regarded as a hero to many officers of the law.

"Well...Giovanni wants me dead. They took my mother, knowing that I would go after her. I'm almost certain that Giovanni has put a bounty on my head, that's why grunts are all over the place...I think they're here to capture me or... kill me." Ash finished.

Jenny was flabbergasted. Though, she wasn't sure why. With Team Rocket's recent takeover of the Silph Co. building, she knew that they were no longer above murder. It was just a lot to take in; the fact thatAsh Ketchum was in her house and Team Rocket was hunting him down.

"So then...why did they destroy the police station?" Jenny inquired, hoping Ash may have an idea.

Sadly, he did not, "I'm not sure. But I bet we'll find out soon enough."

As the two were talking, Max had made his way over to a window and was peeking out into the street. The young boy was definitely the most frightened at the moment.

"Officer Jenny, why haven't you called for back up or something?!" Max cried.

Jenny sighed once again, "I've tried kid, but nothing is working; they're jamming the signal. I have no idea where the other's who weren't in the building are."

As she finished speaking, the group heard a loud voice booming from the outside. Everyone crawled over to one of the many windows in the family room, peeking out into the street. They noticed the familiar group of grunts they'd seen on the street earlier. Next to them, were 5 people, on their knees with their hands tied behind their backs and bags over their heads.

One grunt was standing ahead of them all. He held a megaphone in his hand.

"Ash Ketchum! We know you're here somewhere. We want you to come out." The grunt said plainly.

He waited almost a minute before speaking again, "I see...I'll ask you nicely one more time to reveal yourself."

All eyes in the house flew to Ash, instantly making him more uncomfortable than he already was. He had no idea what to do.

Again, the man waited nearly a minute. When nothing happened, he sighed into the megaphone, "Oh Ketchum, I hate that you're going to make me do this...it's a shame, really."

No one knew what the man was talking about, but they knew it couldn't be good.

"Fredrick, would you bring me the one farthest to the left." After the leader said this, the mountain of a man picked up one of the constricted people and placed them roughly at the side of the leader.

"Ah, thank you Fredrick...Ketchum, if you don't come out, then...well... I'm going to put a bullet in this woman's head." The grunt threatened, pulling a gun from the holster near his right pocket.

Hearing this, Ash's heartbeat quickened and his breathing became rapid. Similar things where happening to everyone around him. What should he do? He couldn't let an innocent person be killed!

Ash's conflicted thoughts must've lasted a while, as the grunt began to speak again, regaining everyone's full attention, "Hmmm...must not be personal enough. I guess the bag over their head does dehumanize them a bit. Here, let me change that."

What they saw sent most everyone over the edge. Under the mask was the bruised and bloodied face of the friendly receptionist, Rose.

Seeing the familiar woman, everybody froze. Serena, having heard the woman's description, also knew this had to be the person that was so helpful to herself and her friends earlier.

How could they have gotten to her? Did they even know that she was helping Ash, or was this just circumstance? At this point in time, none of that mattered. All that matter was that this woman's life was at stake.

"You have ten seconds to show yourself, Ketchum before I blow her fucking brains out." The man declared coldly, the pistol now pushed against her skull.

"Ash, don't come out! I've lived a full life, I have no one left! I'll get to see my family again! Please, don't come out! You need to live! Take back what was taken from you!" Rose screamed, barely being heard by the group. Tears were streaming down the woman's face; she was absolutely terrified. She didn't want to die, but she wanted Ash to live more. Her outburst earned the woman a sharp hit to the back of the head by one of the female grunts.

The man then began to countdown.

"10"

Everyone was still frozen. No one able to move a muscle.

"9"

Ash pushed all rational thought aside and jumped up from his spot near the window, pushing Pikachu off of his shoulder in the process.

"8"

Noticing this, Paul, Brock and Jenny glanced at the boy.

"7"

Ash began running toward the front door of the house.

"6"

The three that managed to notice Ash realized what he was doing.

"5"

They leaped from their positions, running toward the boy.

"4"

Ash had almost reached the door.

"3"

Brock, Paul and Jenny tackled Ash, preventing him from exiting the house.

"2"

Ash screamed for his release, tears streaming down his face. The three continued to hold him in place, no matter how hard her fought, trying to push what was about to happen out of their minds. The others still watched, unable to look away from the horrifying scene in front of them.

"1"

…

…

_*****__**_Bang_**__*_

The loud shot rang out throughout the city of Viridian, accompanied by the shrieks and cries of those unfortunate enough to have witnessed.

But no one was screaming and fighting harder than Ash Ketchum. Because in his eyes...

...He'd just murdered Rose Lockhart

* * *

**A/N: Well, there's chapter 12. I hope you all enjoyed it!**

**This was by far my favorite chapter to write to date, and I think that showed in the finished product.**

**I'd also like to mention I've been very disappointed at the number of reviews each chapter is getting. I put a lot of time and effort into these chapters and it's great to know what you guys think, so PLEASE review. It motivates me to write more and thus, will get chapters out faster.**

**Also, don't forget to vote in the poll on my profile, it's important to the story!**

**Now to Answer some questions**

Q: Will Ash ever think about dating all three?

**A: A lot of people have asked this question over the chapters. After reading all of them, I have taken the idea into consideration. I just don't believe true romance can really be had when there is more than one girl dating one guy or vise versa; it's not realistic (except for Sister Wives, but eww). It could, however, potentially happen, I will not reveal that information.**

Q:Why didn't the gang release their fire pokemon when they needed Lighting? And when they first stumbled across the Beedrill it seems they forgot all about their pokemon.

**A: The reason they didn't release their fire pokemon is simple...because I wanted to have a Pikachu/Glaceon and Ash/May Moment lol. As for the second part of the question,. They didn't forget about their pokemon, the Beedrill were chasing them too quickly, meaning if they had stopped and released their pokemon, the would have been stung. If they released their pokemon while running, the wouldn't have ample time to explain what was happening to stop their pokemon from being overrun first. And Pikachu and Glaceon couldn't attack accurately because if they stopped, they would be overrun. Pikachu only managed to hit the Beedrill while running because Serena was stung, and he needed to save her (It's like when a toddler is stuck under a car and a regular person lifts that car kinda thing)**

Q: Will the winner of the poll have a special date with Ash?

**A: This is not something I can answer as it will give hints to how the story will end.**

Q: How long do you think the story will turn out to be?

**A: Honestly, Anywhere between 230,000 to 350,000 words. It really depends how long each different part is.**

Q: Will there be lemons in this story?

**A: There will not be lemons in this story. If there ever is a time where the act of sex is done, it will be described in very little detail, but you will know what is going on.**

Q: Will the other guys, Paul, Brock, and Tracey, end up with a girl?

**A: It is certainly a possibility, but I will say that none of them will end up with Dawn, May, or Serena.**

**That's it for this chapter's questions! Keep them rolling in. Thanks for reading and see ya!**


	13. To Find a Way and The Aftermath

**A/N: I'll explain myself at the end of the chapter :)**

* * *

_Last Time (Since its been a while): While Serena was recovering from a Beedrill sting, the gang met a helpful receptionist named Rose. She and Ash bonded over her past and his current situation with Serena. After Serena recovered, the gang decided to look around Viridian City for any sign of Team Rocket before they would go have dinner with Rose later that night. While looking around, an explosion occurred, which turned out to be the police station, where the group was planning on going. They then discover that Team Rocket was behind it and have to escape. An off duty officer Jenny offered up her home for them to hide in and was explained the group's situation. The grunts revealed themselves in the middle of the street, with hostages that they threatened to kill if Ash did not come out of hiding. Ash was fully prepared to march out, but was halted. It was then revealed that Rose was the hostage that was to be killed first. Ash was ready to run out, but was stopped by Brock, Paul, and Jenny. Sadly, Rose met her demise by the hands of Team Rocket. (I would recommend rereading the last few chapters to have a better, more complete understanding.)_

* * *

A Trial of Will

"A hero is no braver than any ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer"

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

It was impossible to know just how many people had watched the horrific scene. They could only hope it wasn't many, for anyone unfortunate enough to have done so was surely in a world of unadulterated terror. And the gang was anything but immune to this.

Both May and Dawn wretched at the sight, nearly vomiting on the floor in beneath them and the others weren't fairing much better. They'd seen everything. The bullet leaving the barrel of the gun, Rose's body falling limp, the satisfied faces of the grunts around her now lifeless body. Just the thought was enough to make anyone sick.

Misty, Serena, Max, and Tracey, though feeling nauseous as well, couldn't tear their eyes away from the scene. It wasn't as if they didn't want to, but what they'd just witnessed had them frozen.

One second, the woman they had come to know was alive, breathing, living just like everyone else. But then, in the blink of an eye, she was gone. The line between life and death was thinner than anyone could have imagined, and that frightened the group to their core.

Ash's screams and demands to be released fell on deaf ears. To some because they simply could not focus on anything other than the scene outside, and others because they would not let him march to what would surely be his own death.

James and Meowth somehow managed to tear their eyes away from the scene and after witnessing what the sight had done to the others, they were glad they did.

Paul and Brock had not witnessed what happened, the only thing allowing them to keep level heads. Though, they weren't naïve enough to assume a miracle happened.

As they continued to pin the squirming Ash to the floor, they both felt their minds begin to run, unwillingly picturing the lifeless body of their newest friend; the sound of the gunshot was more than enough to paint this picture. Quickly, they shook away the image. If they thought about it for long, there would be no way they'd be able to stay calm.

Jenny wasn't fairing much better than Paul and Brock. Even though she was an officer of the law, and had seen dead bodies before, this situation was one she'd never in a million years thought she would experience.

A woman was just executed, publicly. Her only crime...being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But like the others, she knew she had to keep herself composed. Not only was she the oldest out of anyone present, save for maybe the blue haired man, but she was also a police officer, someone people looked to in situations such as these.

Despite knowing what she had to do, Jenny still felt panic and fear beginning to take over. Jenny's grip on Ash faltered as her body began shivering uncontrollably. Not long after, her breathing became labored and heavy.

Paul and Brock noticed Jenny's change in demeanor, but couldn't do anything to aid her. With Jenny no longer helping keep Ash down, the task required maximum focus and effort from the two men.

Just as her mind was almost completely shrouded in fear, a lone memory made its way to the forefront of her mind. The fact that she was able to maintain any rational thought was beyond her, but she knew better than to question it; it wasn't likely to stay for long.

Clear as day were the words of her late lieutenant, what to do when control began to slip from her grasp. Recalling each individual word, Jenny closed her eyes and after a few moments, managed to steady her breath.

In her head, she began counting backwards from five. During this time she allowed all of the panic and terror to overtake her mind, completely and totally. The innocent woman dead on the street, the evil people just outside of her home. The police station blighted completely, most certainly leaving no survivors...

Despite these horrifying thoughts on display in her mind, on the outside, her appearance became calm.

As her count reached one, her eyes opened slowly, any fear she still harbored fleeing her for the time being. She sighed in relief and thanked the lord above that she'd remembered the tip that would allow her to do what she could to save these kids' lives. The words had rung true...

Five seconds.

That was the amount of time she allowed herself to be afraid. Panic, anguish... any feeling would overtake her whole being...but only for those five seconds.

After that, there would be no more fear, no more panic, only calm, rational thought and action. She had been skeptical of this exercise when it was first taught to her but now that she'd put it into action, she was more than glad to admit she was wrong in her doubts.

For the first time, she was fully able to asses the situation. Her eyes shifted back to the man she'd been restraining just moments ago. Ash Ketchum, Team Rocket's most wanted man. Rocket grunts had just executed an innocent woman in the middle of the street in an attempt to lure Ash out.

Jenny growled in frustration; even though she could now take in what was happening around her, she had no idea what to do next. She couldn't let another innocent be killed, but she wasn't about to sell Ash out either.

Before another thought could cross her mind, the now familiar voice of the man with the megaphone rang out.

"I really didn't want to have to do that Ketchum, but you're forcing my hand here. I know this may be a bit shocking, so I'll give you some time to think. You have five minutes before someone else dies." The man finished flatly.

"_Shit..."_ Jenny thought. She had five minutes to figure out how to save everyone. She was beginning to wonder if that was even possible...

Quickly, she shook the doubt from her mind and began to think up a plan. As her eyes danced around the room she noticed Ash wasn't struggling nearly as much as before. Brock and Paul were no longer holding him down, but they both kept a careful eye on the boy.

Absentmindedly, her eyes continued around the room. She was hoping that maybe, someone would have something to say, an idea, but the horrified faces of those around her told her that wasn't going to happen any time soon. Everyone, save for the blue haired guy and the meowth, were very obviously traumatized by what they'd just witnessed.

Jenny silently cursed the fact that these kids had to witness such an atrocity. For some reason, having seen these people struggling to deal with what they'd just seen sent her mind into second gear. She _had_ to save these kids, she _needed_ to save the hostages outside. There was no room for failure and now that she was completely motivated, she believed that there really was a chance to save everybody.

Viridian City had a large police force, the largest in Kanto, but Jenny had no way of knowing who had been caught in the blast of the police station. Not only that, but quite a few officers were in Viridian Forrest and Pallet Town. Having received a call from the renown Professor Oak about a Rocket member in Viridian forest, countless Officers were sent to Pallet to find out what exactly had happened from Oak himself. She didn't know when others would come, and she couldn't wait. With this in mind, Jenny knew she was on her own; any plan would have to be carried out be her and her alone.

After a minute or so of brainstorming, she'd devised a crud plan. Granted, it included an immense amount of danger and if _anything _went wrong, there was a good chance that death would befall not only herself, but the others as well. Despite this, it was the only thing she could think of that could end this. The only problem was that in order for this to work, the people around her would need to assist her, putting them all in grave danger. Normally, a police officer would never ask a citizen to risk their life, but this was a special situation. Not only that, but this was Ash Ketchum and his friends, not exactly your average citizens.

Sighing, Jenny slowly waltzed over to the window. Taking a deep breath as to prepare herself, she looked outside. She did her best to ignore the lifeless body of the old woman on the street, but it was more than difficult to do so. She grimaced at the small sight she got before doing what she had come there to do.

She counted the number of grunts that were lined up outside. From what she could see tell there were five in total. Two woman, three men, and that wasn't counting the two pokemon on either side of the group. Standing mightily on the right was a Tyranitar, and on the left, a powerful looking Rhyperior.

Jenny sighed; since when did Team Rocket have such powerful pokemon? Having gotten the information she needed, she closed the blinds of the window and returned to her feet from her crouched position.

She then took another look around the room, hoping to determine who was in the right mind to help. Some were fairing better than others. Though as she suspected, nobody was exactly doing well.

The young boy with the glasses was out, that was for sure. He was obviously the youngest of the group and it wasn't hard to tell that this was his first real experience with death. Jenny cursed silently; this kid couldn't be more than 14 years old, what he'd just witnessed could lead to serious issues for him in the future.

Shaking the thought out of her head, she scanned over the others. The blue haired man and the meowth seemed to be fairing okay, as did the two boys that held Ash down. But other than that, everyone else was a wreck.

Misty and Tracey were holding each other, with Tracey doing his best to comfort the red head. All the while, Tracey himself was trying, only half-successfully, to keep calm. Thankfully, whatever he was doing seemed to be working as both young adults were slowly but surely gathering their composure.

The three other girls still seemed absolutely horrified, but Jenny could tell they were doing their best to attempt to regain their composure. These girls were stunningly beautiful and for some reason, Jenny could tell that they would be able to help eventually; that their bravery matched their beauty.

Even though this was her first time meeting these people, Jenny could tell that they were strong and would be able to push any fear they felt down in order to save innocent lives.

She then let her eyes wonder back to Ash. He was sat up, his arms resting on his knees as tears silently ran down his face. Jenny thanked the gods above that Ash had calmed down, at least to an extent.

Ash was very obviously the leader of this group. She realized immediately that in order for her plan to work, she would need his cooperation before she could even hope to have anybody else's.

Knowing time was of the essence, and also being sick of the silence, Paul stood to his feet and spoke, "We have to do something. We can't let anyone else die!"

Dawn, who was running purely on emotion at this point, felt her temper flare. Her old rivalry with the purpled haired man seemed to return full force.

"And what do you propose we do, Paul?! Do you want to send Ash out there to _die_?!" Dawn cried in a mixture of fear and anger. Tears were still cascading form her eyes as she spoke.

Paul, despite his annoyance with the bluenette, kept his cool, "That's not what I meant and you know it. All I'm saying is we have to do _something_!"

"He's right, we can't just sit around and let this happen again." James added, standing to his feet. Jenny felt her confidence rise as she saw the two men attempting to take control; they would definitely be of help.

"Then...what do we do?" Misty asked, not sounding very hopeful; she still sat in Tracey's arms. After a few moments of silence, everyone's eyes made their way to Ash.

Ash was always the person who helped them out of these kind of situations before, so it was only natural to look to him for guidance. Though, seeing him with tears running down his cheeks made them realize that they would need to depend on someone else, namely Jenny, this time around.

Luckily for them, she was ready to fill this leadership role.

"Okay everyone, listen up, I have a plan." Jenny started, her confidence continuing to rise as she saw the hopeful looks overtaking everyone's faces. She then, as quickly as she could, told the group her idea, how they were going to make sure that everyone made it out of this alive.

"Don't officers carry guns nowadays? You don't have yours on you?" Tracey questioned, cutting Jenny off mid-explanation. As much as he and the others hated the idea, a weapon of some sort would surely be beneficial.

Pausing to field the question, Jenny answered, "When we're on duty, some officers do carry a firearm. The key word there is _some_. I've never even shot a weapon before, let alone carried one. To be honest, I hate the things. Seems like the only people that have them in this world are criminals and officers that don't have the first clue how to use them. Pokemon seemed more than enough not too long ago. All guns have done is make it dangerous for pokemon to be used in situations such as these. "

It was true, Jenny absolutely abhorred guns. All they seemed to do, in the pokemon world at least, was cause more problems and add an element of danger to the world that previously hadn't been there. She hadn't meant to be so longwinded with her response, but at least she knew that everyone now understood why her plan was truly their only option. Seeing that she'd answered the question and then some, Jenny continued explaining the final parts of her plan.

As she spoke, Jenny did her best to gauge the reactions of those around her. Some were obviously on board, like Paul, Brock, and James but she had a harder time reading the others. She just hoped that if these people were friends of Ash's, they would be the kind to show bravery when needed, just like him. Though, looking at Ash now, he wasn't exactly taking this well. She just hoped she'd be able to see firsthand the kind of bravery the boy was known for.

Quickly checking her watch, she estimated that they only had about 3 and a half minutes left to make a move. With the strict constraint of time forcing itself upon them, Jenny needed to know if these people would cooperate or not.

Though, as much as she wanted them to help, _needed_ them to help, she couldn't force them to put their lives on the line if they weren't willing to.

Sighing deeply, Jenny addressed this issue, "Listen, I understand that you may not want to do this. It is going to be dangerous, and I can't guarantee-"

Mid-sentence, Jenny was cut off by the newly familiar voice of Ash, who'd stood from his seated position, "Officer, stop. If you think that any of us would just sit around while an innocent life is taken away, then you are sorely mistaken. If I know my friends like I think I do, then we're in, all of us. That woman out there is dead because of me. I will not let that happen to anyone else."

As he spoke, Ash made his way to the center of the room, allowing all eyes to fall on him. His eyes were still red, but the tears had since ceased. Seeing the steely expression on his face gave his friends some level of hope and reassurance.

Though, his friends also couldn't help but became slightly worried that Ash was placing the blame for Rose's death on himself, but this was not the time to confront that issue, that could be dealt with later.

Hearing that she had Ash's full support, Jenny internally sighed in relief. Even though she was a police officer, she was certain that Ash had come face to face with criminal organizations on more occasions than she had. Not only that, but along with his willingness to help seemingly came his friends'. Though, she was sure they would have helped even without Ash's support, the boy's words seemed to motivate everyone even further.

"Yeah, we aren't going to let Team Rocket get away with this!" Serena shouted, jumping to her feet, her face beaming with determination. Though she still felt not only the weakness from the Beedrill sting, but also intense terror, she was ready to act. No longer was she going to let fear overtake her. She, like the others, had a job to do.

At the blonde's action, the others around her also launched to their feet, similar expressions adorning all of their faces. Even Max was up and willing to help. Though, he still looked visibly shaken up by the ordeal and it was obvious he was just suppressing the horrible memory for the time being. But even at the young age of 14, he knew that something needed to be done.

"I do have one question though. Why don't we just use our pokemon to take them out?" Misty inquired, now out of Tracey's grasp and on her feet.

Before she could answer, Jenny was hushed as Brock began speaking, "She kind of already answered that. With weapons thrown into the mix, the safety of our pokemon is put into risk. A bullet will effect both humans and pokemon the same. And I know that all of us would put our pokemon's safety over our own. I'm sure they'd be willing, but if we don't have to, then I'd rather not put them in such danger."

Brock looked quickly to Officer Jenny to see if his assumption of her reasoning was correct. His words were validated by a curt head nod from the young police woman.

"I do agree, but we're going to have to use at least two pokemon to take out that Tyranitar and Rhyperior." Paul reminded everyone, glancing quickly out the window as if to confirm they were still there.

Making himself known once again, Pikachu put on a confident smirk and sparked his cheeks, "Pika!"

Despite the severity of the situation, Ash and the others couldn't help but smile at the pokemon's desire to help.

"Well, looks like Pikachu's in. We definitely need another pokemon though..." Ash stated.

Meowth almost stepped forward. He badly wanted to offer his assistance. He halted himself however, as the idea of not being able to handle such an immense pokemon crossed his mind. He really did want to help, he just thought that another, more powerful pokemon would be better for this situation.

Seeing no one making a move, Paul stepped forward and wordlessly released his Froslass. He then quickly briefed his pokemon of the situation. After hearing everything, Froslass nodded her head confidently; it was ready to help where it could.

"Froslass is part ice-type. She'll be a big help against Rhyperior." Paul stated as Froslass floated to Pikachu's side.

The two pokemon both held great admiration for one another, stemming from the numerous times they had faced off in battle. Both were confident and trusting of the other; they would do their part, no problem.

"Alright, we know what pokemon we're using. So, now what?" May questioned.

Jenny found herself smiling. Knowing that she had these people's support made her feel much more confident that they would succeed

"We go to work..."

"Only one minute left Ketchum. One minute before another person gets a bullet in the brain." The Rocket grunt spoke with an eerie calm. No normal person should be able to say such a thing with so little emotion.

Peering out the window from behind the curtains, Jenny saw that they had to act immediately. Turning back to the anxious group, she spoke, "It's time. We have to do this now."

A serious of deep breaths were taken by everyone, their adrenaline making it hard for them to calm down. Ash's heart was pumping especially hard. He was going to be the distraction; revealing himself was the only way to make sure that another innocent person would not be killed immediately once the countdown hit zero. This wasn't part of Jenny's plan originally, but Ash insisted that it was the only way and as much as she hated it...he was right.

Though he was scared, he was willing to risk his life to save these people. There was no guarantee that the grunts wouldn't just shoot him on the spot, but he had to hope that he would be worth more to them alive than dead...

...or that Giovanni would want to take care of him himself...

The others' fear for Ash's safety was greater than even his own in this moment. Ash refused to say goodbye before he left.

"There's no need, I won't be gone for long. This will all be over in no time."

After Ash finished speaking, Ash peered downward, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to do. It was then he noticed Jenny standing in front of him. Meeting the eyes of the shorter women, Ash noticed Jenny was smiling.

"I can see why everyone thinks so highly of you, you're just as brave as they say." Jenny stated with a smile, hoping to calm the boy's nerves, if only slightly, "We have to do this now, are you ready?"

Ash took one more look around the room at his friends; all eyes were on him. Everyone had their own specific job to fulfill, but everything truly hinged on his distraction.

Ash then locked eyes with his pokemon, the yellow rat's determination shinning through his beady black eyes. He believed in his trainer, he knew things would work out.

With the support of everyone around him, Ash took a deep breath and nodded, "I'm ready. You guys be careful."

Without giving himself a chance to lose his nerve, Ash made his way out of the house through the back door.

Watching Ash leave was the most terrifying part of the whole ordeal. There was no certainty that this was going to turn out okay, that they would see him again. But everyone knew that they had no time to worry about their friend; they all had jobs to do and if any of them failed, then so would the task at hand.

Migrating to the windows , the group watched the street, looking for any sign of Ash. They had to wait until the grunts seemed wholly distracted before they could make a move.

* * *

Ash waited momentarily at the side of the house, still out of the line of vision of the grunts.

"Only 10 seconds left... You know Ketchum, I never pegged you as the kind of guy who would let innocent people die. I guess I was wrong." The grunt leader shrugged.

Ash was currently doing his best to keep hold of the courage that was quickly fleeing his body. However, being reminded of the time constraint seemed to seal whatever hole was allowing his fortitude to escape. With one last deep breath, he marched away from his hiding spot and into the middle of the street.

He didn't look up from the ground, but he could feel the Rockets' eyes bearing into him, watching his every move. It wasn't until about 20 feet separated the two sides that Ash stopped his stride and looked up.

The grunts had their weapons trained on the boy from the moment he'd made himself known, and that didn't change when the boy came to a halt.

Ash felt panic rush through him as he looked into the eyes of his enemies. Ash could tell that they were itching for a reason to pull the trigger.

They were ready to kill him, they _wanted_ to kill him. The overwhelming fear was spreading faster now.

The panic left with a deep exhale of breath when the leader raised his arm and signaled for his subordinates to lower their weapons.

His eyes never leaving Ash, the leader spoke, "Don't shoot, he's worth more to us alive than dead."

Hesitantly complying, the grunts lowered their weapons and waited for further orders.

Although relief overcame him when he heard the leader say what he'd hoped, the evil smirk on the man's face still made Ash uneasy.

"So Mr. Ketchum, I'm glad that you finally decided to join us. It's a pleasure to meet you. Though, it is a shame that you didn't come out sooner." The grunt started as he made his way to Rose's lifeless body. He then proceeded to poke the woman with the toe of his boot. "Yes...a real shame."

Ash grit his teeth and did his best to mask the anger that was building inside of him. If he snapped, he'd surely be shot. He had to bide his time and be as careful and calm as possible.

Amazingly, through his anger, Ash felt his confidence begin to rise. He was worth more to them alive, just as he'd hoped. And though he was sure that these people truly hated him, their main reason for doing this was for money. As long as he didn't do anything stupid, he had some level of control over the situation.

As a short staring contest was going on between Ash and the leader, the other members of the group made their way out of the house and silently made their move. Pikachu, Froslass, Meowth, James, Paul, Brock, Tracey, Jenny, May, Dawn and Misty all made their way silently from backyard to backyard, doing their best to get into position behind the grunts without being spotted.

Almost every member was assigned a grunt they would need to take down. The few who didn't have a set responsibility were coming along for backup in the case that something were to go wrong.

Now that they were out of earshot, they had no way of knowing if Ash was still keeping the grunts occupied. All they could do was have faith in their friend. With hope filling their chests, they continued on.

"So where are your little friends?" The leader asked. By now, word of Ash's travels had gotten to every Rocket agent and it was common knowledge that he was traveling with others. The only unknown was just how many companions he had.

Without saying a word, Ash motioned to the house from which he came. The grunts followed his eyes and noticed two people peering out of the window. A girl with honey blonde hair and a boy with glasses were the only two visible.

Deducting that the rest of his friends, if there were any others, simply hadn't wanted to watch their friend turn himself over, the grunts accepted the situation.

"Don't even think of reaching for a pokemon because if you do, we won't hesitate to take you out." The largest grunt, Fredrick, threatened.

Despite his dark tone, Ash didn't even flinch, "I didn't bring my pokemon, I've come to stop this, not fight you. I can't let innocent people be hurt because of me. That's why I turning myself over to you."

Ash kept his head low, not allowing the grunts to get a look into his eyes.

The evil man's smirk grew to a twisted smile as Ash spoke these words. Hearing the contempt and sadness in the boys voice filled him with a sick form of joy.

"Well, that's a wise choice _Ash_. You come with us, and we won't hurt anyone else." The man reassured the trainer, "So why don't you just walk on over here and-"

The leader was cut of by Ash's dark voice, whom still had his head down, his hat covering his eyes, "I knew her, you know. The woman you killed. She helped me a great deal when I really needed it."

Ash allowed his gaze to wander to the deceased woman as he spoke. Seeing the pool of blood growing beneath her lifeless body should have made him feel sick, but instead it only served to make him angrier...

more determined.

His eyes then fell upon the other captives. They still had bags over their heads, but he could tell by their clothing that two of them had to police officers, which was in some way both shocking and expected.

All of the grunts cocked their heads in confusion at Ash's words; why was he telling them this? It wasn't as if they cared.

Deciding to humor the boy, the leader responded, "Well I'm deeply sorry, but you didn't give us much of a choice. If it makes you feel any better, we had no idea that you knew this woman. She was just a victim of circumstance."

Ash scoffed, "Circumstance, huh? It's funny you say that... since it was you that created these circumstances in the first place." Ash's head shot up, his strong face being revealed to the grunts Being careful to keep his voice level and calm, he continued, "That woman had never done anything wrong in her life, and yet here she is, dead on the street. I just don't understand..."

The grunts were confused as to what the boy was saying, _why _he was saying these things.

Growing impatient, the leader spoke once again, "I don't know what you're blabbing about, but if you don't mind, I would like to take you back to HQ and get my reward. So put your hands on your head and get your ass over here."

Allowing himself to take one last look at Rose, Ash placed his hands behind his head. He then began walking very slowly toward the members of Team Rocket, his face just low enough to where a shadow was being cast over his eyes and mouth by the brim of his hat.

As he haltingly walked forward, his low gaze flew past the grunts, where his friends were currently stationed, finally in position. He thanked the heavens that at that moment, all eyes, even those of the pokemon, were on him. There was only one thing left for him to do...

When Ash had about five feet left to advance, he stopped.

The leader's face scrunched in annoyance and frustration. All he wanted to do was get this stupid kid to his boss and reap the reward that was to come with his capture. But this boy was really testing his patience, and he wasn't above killing him and taking a lesser reward.

"Hurry up and get over here kid, I don't want to be here longer than I have to!" The leader said aggressively, for the first time allowing his anger and frustration to shine through his tone.

Ash however, didn't take another step. Instead, he slowly raised his head, revealing the smirk he'd been wearing since he saw his friends get into position.

Before the grunts even had time to think about what that grin could mean, they were under attack.

Everything had gone perfectly according to plan thus far. Immediately after seeing the trainer raise his head, the group made their move. They all moved in synch, arriving at their opponents' locations at the same time.

Pikachu flew in with an Iron Tail, striking the Tyranitar in the back of its skull, damaging it badly. With this first attack, Pikachu was confident it wouldn't take many more to knock the Tyranitar out completely. All the while, Froslass stormed up her most powerful ice beam attack, nearly taking the Rhyperior out with just one attack. This was going to be easier than the two pokemon expected...

While this was happening, Jenny and Misty had placed their arms around the necks of the two female grunts, cutting off all blood and oxygen flow to their brains. Eventually, the two fell to the ground, unconscious.

Paul and James went after the two other male grunts, with Paul handling the larger of the two. James had little trouble rendering his man unconscious, but Paul struggled slightly. He had the hold sunk in, but not tightly. The man was big, at least 6' 7", making it harder for Paul to get a grip around the man's titanic neck.

But Paul was not only strong, but smart as well. Quickly, he devised a plan. Putting it into action, Paul left his feet and jumped onto the man's back, deepening his hold around the man's neck. In the struggle, the large man ended up shooting his gun wildly into the air, sending a ringing through Paul's ears. However, he didn't falter and eventually, the man fell to his knees and then onto his face, completely unconscious.

As this was going on, Brock had his arms around the neck of the leader. The leader was an extremely thin man, whom no one had assumed would be much of a problem to take down with a sneak attack. The only problem was, though he may not have looked it, he was strong...

...stronger than Brock.

In one fluid motion, the man threw Brock over his shoulders, causing him to land harshly on the unforgiving ground. Brock barely had time to grunt in pain before the leader had his gun drawn upon him. Brock's expression turned to horror as he stared down the barrel.

Unable to close his eyes, he waited for death to claim him.

…

…

…

Luckily, it never did.

It only took half a second for the gun to hit the street, followed closely by the leader's staggering footsteps. Brock thanked his lucky stars that May had done her job, and done it well.

Immediately reacting to the danger, May rushed in, first immobilizing the leader's arm, causing the weapon to fall to the ground. She then wasted no time in throwing an amazingly powerful open handed punch at the man's jaw, causing him to stagger; all of those times hitting her brother had finally paid off, it seemed.

Ash was upon the leader just a moment behind May. He watched on, impressed by May's prowess in disabling this man. Despite his satisfaction with May's handling of the man, the growing flame of hatred and anger continued to grow inside of him. As sick and twisted as he knew it was, _he _wanted to be the one inflicting the pain. He wanted this man to pay for murdering Rose by _his_ hands.

With thoughts of vengeance clouding his mind, he finally acted, his movements telling May that he would take over from here. The man was dazed from the girl's surprisingly hard blow, leaving him in no position to attempt to fight back.

Within moments, Ash had his arm around the leader's neck, the other behind his head to deepen the hold. With every ounce of strength in his body, he applied pressure exactly where Jenny had shown him to. It didn't take long before he felt the leader's body go limp in his arms.

Despite this, something inside of Ash screamed that this wasn't good enough, that this man deserved worse than being choked unconscious.

...And so he didn't let go.

The utter hatred boiling inside controlling his body, Ash tightened his grip even further. Sounds of unconscious gurgling were the only thing signaling that the leader was still alive.

Despite knowing what was happening, no one moved. They just watched on as Ash slowly choked the life out of the man. Their thoughts couldn't help but return to when he'd attacked James...how he'd lost control.

Finally, Jenny rushed over to the trainer and, with a great struggle, pried his arms off of the man's neck, finally allowing him to fall to the ground. Though, if he was just unconscious or actually dead was unknown.

This action seemed to finally snap the others out of their stupors. Quickly, Brock picked himself up from the ground and rushed to the side of the man who'd had a gun on him just seconds before. Immediately, he checked for a pulse and a small part of him couldn't help but feel sad when he found one. But he was also happy, but for a whole different reason...

Ash hadn't killed him.

More specifically, Ash hadn't killed _anyone._

The action of taking another person's life would surely bring unknown results and feelings from everyone in the group, and Brock did not want to have to deal with that on top of everything else. The longer they could hold off needing to take a life, the better it would be for everyone.

Surprisingly to Jenny, Ash stopped struggling when she'd managed to get his arms off of the leader's neck. Despite him not fighting to finish what he'd started, Jenny still kept her grip on the boy for a few moments longer just to be sure.

Jenny sighed audibly when she realized that the worst was over. Though, her mind still ran, Ash's actions being the root cause of this.

If Ash had held the grunt any longer, then he would have surely died. Not to say Jenny would've lost sleep from erasing the lowlife from existence, she just didn't want Ash to have to deal with the psychological trauma that came along with taking another person's life, much like Brock had thought.

Though, she could, to a certain extent, understand his actions. These people were members of a group who had taken his mother and were out to kill him. Honestly, Jenny didn't know if she'd have acted any different had she been in Ash's shoes.

As Jenny half-dragged the trainer from the leader, Ash slowly felt the desire to kill the man fade. After a few moments, he slipped out of Jenny's grasp and fell to his knees, panting excessively.

As he regained his breath, he looked to the unconscious man that lay in front of him. He felt his anger begin to rise again, but controlled himself enough to not let it show.

This man was a part of Team Rocket, the same people who had taken his mother and were currently out to kill him. This man didn't care about human life. Instead, he was consumed by greed; allowing the prospect of success and money control his actions.

This man had tried to kill Brock.

This man had successfully killed Rose...

As that last thought passed through his mind, the evil desire came rushing back. However, he was in control enough to not try and kill the guy again. Instead, he opted to quietly spit in his face. The man was unconscious, he wouldn't notice, but it sure as hell made Ash feel better.

Finally, Ash allowed himself to tear his gaze from the man and look at what was going on around him. He must have been on the ground longer than he'd thought because May, Dawn, and Misty had already managed to release the hostages.

It was clear that they were still shaken up from the event, but relief was evident on their faces, most definitely stemming from the realization that they were safe.

Three hostages were regular civilians, two male and one female, and the other two, as Ash suspected, were what looked to be on-duty police officers.

It was clear to see that all of them, the officers included, were traumatized by being held captive. It was nearly impossible to imagine sitting in the dark, tied up, and not knowing how much longer they would be alive. That's why Dawn, Misty, nor May reacted with nothing but sympathy when they broke down into tears.

The three girls were happy to lend their shoulders to the survivors. They had no part in this and yet, they had been dragged in anyway. A reoccurring theme, it seemed

Ash felt some of his anger fade as he watched the former hostages find safety. The two officers being alive made him happier even. With the police station having been destroyed, and with so many most likely killed in the blast, he knew the Jenny family was going to have a rough time ahead of them. So seeing two more living officers was a welcomed sight.

After he'd calmed down, Ash regained his footing, deciding it would be best if he offered his assistance where needed. The grunts still needed to be taken care of, and this was definitely a case of the sooner the better; they wouldn't be unconscious for long.

Serena and Max had made their way out to the group at this point. Serena, Ash noticed, was carrying what looked to be a package of zip ties. It seemed she had the same thought he did.

With only three officers present, and only two most likely having handcuffs on them, they would need to restrain the grunts until they could contact another police station in a different city to come collect them.

Not wasting any time, Jenny and her two relatives, whom had recovered since being released, grabbed the ties from Serena and proceeded to entrap both the hands and feet of each Rocket member.

Ash mindlessly watched as the officers did their work. He was only pulled out of his empty gaze when he felt a hand land on his shoulder. Ash jumped slightly before turning around immediately; he was still a bit jumpy as the adrenaline high he was riding had still yet end.

However, he relaxed when he saw the familiar face of Brock in front of him.

"Thanks for helping me out back there." Brock said sincerely.

Ash shook his head and smiled, "Thank May. She did all the heavy lifting."

"Trust me, I was more than happy to do it." May stated, making herself known to the pair as she approached. It seemed that Serena had taken her place in helping the former hostages for the time being. It made sense; there was still a lot that needed to be done.

Smiling at the girl, Brock spoke, "Well, I'll thank you anyways. You really saved me back there, May."

May returned the smile, glad that she was finally able to contribute more than just moral support.

"Seriously May, you really did save him back there. You were amazing. But I do have to ask, where'd you learn to do that?" Ash questioned. The way May disarmed the man seemed calculated, like she really knew what she was doing.

Ignoring the heat rising to her face at the compliment, May answered, "I took a few self defense classes in Johto. I had my pokemon with me, but traveling alone made me realize that I should know how to defend myself in case a situation ever arose. Looking back now, that was the best money I've ever spent."

Despite everything that had just occurred, the trio managed a small laugh. It was as if a small bubble of calm had surrounded the three, giving them a short opportunity to settle down. This had been a terrifying day for everyone, and they were thankful that he worst of it was finally over.

Pikachu made himself known as he rubbed up against his trainer's leg. In that moment, nothing seemed wrong. Everything was okay.

"You'll have to teach me some stuff sometime. I think _actually_ knowing how to defend myself will definitely come in handy." Ash smirked at the brunette.

Returning the smirk playfully, May responded, "I don't know, Ash. I don't think I can teach you anything. With everything you've done, you've proven to be quite the natural."

Ash's smirk faded at May's comment. And with it, went May's and Brock's as well; even Pikachu's much welcomed cheerfulness faded. What was meant to be a a lighthearted comment had inadvertently reminded them of everything that had already happened. What they had already had to do. What they had already seen...

The bubble of calm popped as quickly as it formed, forcing the trio back to reality.

Feeling guilty for causing the mood shift, May spoke, "Ash, I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

Ash stopped the brunette with a small, sad smile, "It's okay, May. You have nothing to apologize for."

Despite the hollowness of his smile, May knew that Ash was being sincere. He didn't blame her for anything; they had to return to reality sometime. And the reality was that he had proven to be quite vicious when it came to fighting, something he wasn't necessarily proud of.

Smiling appreciatively in response, May walked away in search of something she could help with. This again left just Ash, Brock and Pikachu.

With neither of the two men quite knowing what to say or do next, they felt their eyes begin to wander. It didn't take long for Ash's eyes to meet Rose's lifeless body. With the adrenaline no longer keeping hold of him, Ash grimaced at the sight and nearly wretched. Having followed his gaze, Brock did the same.

It was a disturbing sight to say the least. The pool of blood forming underneath her continued to grow, her limp body sent chills up and down the spines of those unfortunate enough to have looked her way.

Ash knew they would have to do something about it, he just hoped that the one of the officers would've taken care of it. But by the looks of it, the few that were present were busy dealing with the former hostages and the grunts.

"We have to do something. We can't leave her like that." Brock stated, seemingly reading Ash's mind.

Ash didn't answer verbally, though he did nod his head in agreement.

"I'm going to head back inside the house and get a sheet. I don't want more people to have to see this." Brock added, running off before Ash had a chance to respond. Pikachu followed Brock, sensing that Ash wanted to be alone at the moment.

Ash ignored what Brock had said, his eyes never leaving the woman that had offered them so much help when they needed it most. Subconsciously, Ash's feet began to move toward the body. He didn't even bother to attempt to avoid stepping in the blood that surrounded her, he simply approached, finally stopping just inches from her.

For a while he just stood there, staring. After a few seconds, Ash got an overwhelming desire to see her face. The face that gave him hope when everything was starting to pile up on him and the situation was looking bleak.

Being at least semi-conscious of the blood, Ash picked the body up and flipped her around in his arms so he was holding her bridal style. He only walked a few feet, just so he was out of the red pool, before placing her back on the ground, face-up. It was then he finally got a look at her face.

It was strange more than anything. If it hadn't been for the small wound on her temple and the reddening of her normally ghostly white hair, she would've looked like she was simply asleep. Ash wasn't sure if this settled him or made him even more uncomfortable.

However, what stuck out to Ash most was despite the fear she had to have been feeling just before she met her demise, she looked so incredibly calm. Peaceful even. It was obvious she had come to terms with her death before it happened.

With that in mind, Rose's words rang out in Ash's head,

"_...I've lived a full life, I have no one left! I'll get to see my family again! Please, don't come out! You need to live! __Take back what was taken from you!__"_

Ash could hear her words so clearly in his mind that it sent a shiver up his spine. He remembered the look on her face, how the only thing making her seem the slightest bit unsettled were the tears silently streaming down her face.

Ash did his best to find solace in the fact that she was with her family again, that she was happy. But he just couldn't seem to do that. Rose had barely known him for a day and yet, she wouldn't allow him to come out of hiding, even if that meant dying herself. She was like him in many ways, eternally kind and willing to put the life of another before her own.

Ash's mind, being the jumbled mess it was, wandered to how he could have prevented this from happening. But the only thing he could think of that could have possibly saved her life would have been not coming to Viridian at all, which was never in the cards.

Despite this, Ash felt guilt flush throughout his body. No matter what happened or who did what, in the end, everything came down to Ash and Team Rocket's ultimate goal to capture and kill him. In Ash's mind, it was his fault that Rose had died and it'd be his fault if anyone else died in the future.

As his mind continued running, Ash felt his lip quiver and a tear fall from his eye.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry." Ash whispered quietly, his voice breaking as sorrow overtook him. He fell to his knees and pulled the woman's body close, holding on as if she would slip away at any moment, as if she wasn't already gone... Holding the woman, he sobbed, quietly at first, but progressively louder as time went on.

His volume didn't matter though, he already held the attention of most everyone around him. The officers had taken control of the situation completely, even finding whatever jamming device was blocking their calls on one of the grunts, finally allowing them to call for assistance from the Pewter City department, whom were currently flying over the expansive Viridian Forest.

With everything being handled, the group of friends could do nothing more than stand around and finally allow the gravity of the situation to sink in. With heavy hearts, they watched what would be Ash's final encounter with Rose.

Serena, much like the others, desperately wanted to go to Ash, to help him. She was only able to stop herself when she felt hot tears on her cheeks. With this, she realize that she was in no place to try and help Ash, she was just as distraught as he, even with not knowing the woman nearly as well.

Grudgingly accepting that she would be of no help to the raven haired trainer, Serena allowed her own sadness to take hold. Before she did this however, she managed a quick glance at her friends. That small peak was all she needed to see that they all felt as she did; they wanted nothing more than to help, but simply couldn't.

Even Paul, who wasn't known for his showings of emotion, was obviously deeply affected. His lack of tears wasn't fooling anyone, his eyes told what was suspected; he was just as badly hurt by this as the next person.

Brock had long since retrieved a sheet from inside the house, but like the rest had halted as he watched the scene in front of him. Pikachu was the only one to approach his trainer, only stopping when he was at his trainer's side, where he belonged. Even though Ash didn't seem to notice his presence, Pikachu felt better knowing he was there.

Pikachu himself had been feeling the emotions building himself, the deep bond between trainer and pokemon making itself evident. It wasn't long before the electric rodent was overcome by sadness over the death of this woman, just like his trainer.

No one had noticed, but the former hostages had since been taken elsewhere, most likely the hospital, with the two unfamiliar Jennys clearly having been the cause. They'd overcame their emotion and done their job, taking these innocent people away from the scene.

The newly familiar Jenny was the only authority figure left, and she would remain as such until the others from Pewter arrived. Luckily, she didn't have much to worry about. The grunts were very tightly constrained, their mouths gagged so they wouldn't make much noise.

Oddly, none of them even seemed to be fighting their restraints. Instead they all sat awkwardly, appearing downcast. None were even looking at the scene unfolding between Ash and his friends. Instead, they sat facing the opposite direction, staring absentmindedly toward the ground. This would seem strange to most, but Jenny understood. And if any of the others were conscious of the Rockets, then they would've as well.

They'd failed and they knew it.

They'd tried to cash in by capturing Ash Ketchum, Team Rocket's number one enemy, and had come up short. In the end, they knew trying to fight anymore was useless. All that awaited them in the future was a prison cell. They weren't naïve enough to think Giovanni would even think twice about bailing them out, they simply weren't important enough to Team Rocket as a whole.

Like the others, Jenny had nothing to do but wait. It wasn't long before her eyes ran across the people who'd helped her capture the Rockets, only stopping when her gaze fell upon the famous 18 year old boy holding the deceased woman in his arms.

Jenny was aware that the group must've known the woman, they wouldn't have reacted so strongly had they not, but she didn't know to what extent. But that didn't matter, not at the moment anyway. These people, these _kids, _had to do and see unspeakable things, things Jenny herself never even thought she herself would have to do in her career.

Jenny mentally cursed herself for not acting earlier, for not moving the body out of sight until proper help could arrive. Maybe, just maybe, she could have spared at least _some_ of the pain that was being felt. Though, looking at the group, that seemed unlikely. It may have been too late to prevent these kids from seeing the body as it was now, but Jenny knew that the remains would need to be taken care of. So quietly, Jenny placed a call from her home to the Viridian City Pokemon Center and Hospital.

Having done everything she could think of, Jenny once again found her gaze upon Ash. His loud cries had since been joined by others, serving to pour more anguish into the air.

It was a while before the sobbing stopped but eventually, the cries become softer, quieter. Despite this, Ash still hadn't let go of Rose's body. He continued to cradle the old woman in his arms, looking almost afraid to let go.

It wasn't long before two hospital workers, one man and one woman, arrived at the scene in an Ambulance. Immediately taking note of the somber mood of those surrounding them, the two EMTs knew they needed to tread carefully. That the person who's body they'd been called to retrieve was of obvious importance to these people.

They had also been briefly told what to expect at the scene. The former hostages had been taken to the hospital and before the EMTs/coroners were sent out, they were told by their superiors that the scene they would soon arrive at was a murder, a revelation revealed by two present officers that had apparently been hostages themselves.

The earsplitting sound of the earlier explosion resounded throughout Viridian, causing the hospital employees, along with everyone else in the city, to be overcome with fear. The only thing that made the EMTs and coroners comfortable enough to leave the safety of the hospital was the confirmation that the event was over and that they would not be in danger at this point. With that, most employees were sent to the site of the explosion, where they would wait for police and two were sent to the site of the murder.

After talking with Jenny and confirming all information they were given before leaving the hospital, the two workers approached the raven haired man, whom they noticed was holding that which they came to retrieve. Even when the two hospital employees were directly behind him, Ash didn't notice; his eyes stayed locked on the woman.

The Pikachu at the boy's side however, did acknowledge their presence. At first, they were slightly worried that the small pokemon might become defensive over whom they assumed to be his trainer and the person in his arms. However, no malice or contempt could be found in the pokemon's small, black eyes. Instead, all that was apparent was sadness and concern.

Pikachu knew that these two were not here to harm, so he allowed them to do their work, returning his eyes to his trainer.

Seeing that they were in no danger from the small, but powerful pokemon the sad scene found its way into their hearts, effectively breaking them. They'd always been told to control their emotions when on the job, to try and dehumanize the victim to make things easier, but the small pokemon's concern for his trainer was almost too much to bear.

Sighing sadly and sympathetically at the emotional sight, the woman attempted to address the man, "Sir, we're here to take care of the-"

Having finally seen the face of the body they had come to collect, the woman paused mid sentence. A look of slight recognition crossed her face, as did her partner's as he caught sight as well. They hadn't met many times before, but they both recognized the woman as a fellow hospital employee.

Despite the limited interaction that had ever occurred between them, seeing someone they technically _knew_ seemed to strike a chord with the EMTs. Neither could quite recall her name, but they knew that this woman was held in high regard by her peers and patients of the hospital.

The two workers took a quick glance at each other, the slight shock still evident on their faces. Though, they knew they had a job to do. Their peers, the other EMTs, were already hard at work at the Police department, undoubtably witnessing unimaginable devastation. With this in mind, the hospital employees motivated themselves to do their work.

Regaining her nerve, the woman spoke softly, "Sir, we're here to take the... remains" The woman silently cursed her inability to find a better word.

Seeing no reaction out of the man in response to her words, the woman reached out a hand and placed it on his shoulder. Even still, the boy had either not yet registered her existence or was choosing to ignore her.

Seeing his partner struggling, the man reached out in an attempt to garner the boy's attention. He was halted however, by his partner's hand.

The woman knew that that this boy had to be in a dark place at the moment and she couldn't help but feel that the voice of a woman, a _maternal_ approach, was better suited to handle the situation.

Seeing that her partner had backed off, the woman knelt down beside the boy. Now that she'd seen his face, the woman recognized him as Ash Ketchum, the winner of the Indigo league just days ago. Though if she was surprised by the revelation, she hid it well.

"Mr. Ketchum...Ash...We're here to help. We're going to make sure this woman gets to where she's supposed to go." The woman stated softly.

At first, Ash still didn't respond. But just as the woman was about to speak again, the trainer turned his head slowly toward her, finally pulling his gaze off of the deceased woman.

Ignoring the ache in her heart the woman felt when she saw the emptiness in the boy's eyes, the woman continued, "We're going to take her to the Center and then we'll figure out what to do next, okay?"

Ash, who was finally thinking rationally again after his thoughts were clouded by the overwhelming sadness, turned his head back to Rose before nodding slowly.

As the woman nodded appreciatively and gestured for her partner to retrieve a gurney of some sort to harbor the body, Ash was left to his thoughts once again. This time, all he could ponder was what was to come.

What to do next.

Not just about Rose, but the entire situation. With everything that had happened, the game changed completely. Someone had died, something no one even fathomed happening on this journey, even with the knowledge of the danger. It was one thing to hear about murders on television, but actually seeing it really hit the group hard.

This was real.

This was what they had to deal with.

Before Ash got too deep into his thoughts, the realization that Rose was still in his arms dragged him out. There was plenty to deal with _now. _The only thing he could do was take everything one step at a time and when the time came for him to continue on, him and his friends would come up with something.

More quickly than he would have liked, Ash was tapped on the shoulder by the female employee. Despite the fact that death already plagued her, Ash couldn't help but feel that giving up the body was what would fully disconnect Rose from his, and everyone else's life.

But no matter how he felt, this had to happen. Her time had come. So he stood, with Rose in his arms, and placed the lifeless body of the receptionist on to the gurney.

The male EMT wasted little time in covering the woman with a sheet from the neck down. He was about to cover her face, a normal practice in this situation, when his wrist was grabbed tightly.

Looking up, he wasn't surprised to see the boy who'd been holding the lifeless woman was the perpetrator. The man immediately recognized the look in the boy's eye and allowed him the final glimpse of the woman he so obviously needed.

He thought he'd accepted it, but the idea of this being the last image he'd have of Rose made him desire just one more look. Ash's mind ran back over what Rose had done for him, for his friends. It didn't seem like much, but after the events leading up to their meeting, meeting some like Rose was a miracle.

It blew Ash's mind how someone he'd known for such a short amount of time could have made such an impact. Allowing a small, sad smile to cross his face, he took one last look and released the man's wrist, allowing him to cover Rose completely.

Ash, along with those around him, watched as the kind old woman was wheeled into the back of the ambulance and the doors were shut behind her.

"I've seen her around the hospital, but I can't quite remember her name." The female hospital employee stated, making her presence next to Ash known.

Ash knew she was waiting for him to say something, to give her a name, but he didn't respond. His eyes were transfixed once again on the ambulance. It was only when Pikachu ran up his shoulder did he finally seem register what was said to him.

"Rose." Ash said softly. The woman, who'd after not receiving an answer had began to walk away, just barely heard what the boy had said. Stopping her stride, she turned and faced the boy once again.

Slight recognition flickered across the woman's face, Ash noticed, as she nodded her head. After a few moments, the woman turned and resumed her stride to the passenger's seat of the emergency vehicle.

It wasn't long after that the ambulance sped off, leaving a cesspool of emotion in its wake.

Although he was once again coherent, Ash, for what seemed to be the millionth time that day, was left staring emptily into space. He was sick of having time to think, time to dwell on things out of his control. His face was sturdy, but his mannerisms revealed his true feelings.

This whole exchange felt much longer than it actually was. Frozen in place, recovering from their own emotional turmoil, the group of friends watched as the world moved on in front of them.

Some were handling things better than others but luckily, it seemed as if everyone was beginning to calm down, if only just slightly. Though, the blank stare that had become commonplace on Ash's face had spread amongst the others as well, leaving everyone still.

Brock was the first to snap out of it. His eyes first went to the cloth he held in his hand, useless now that the body had been taken care of. Tossing it aside, Brock looked around. Jenny still stood authoritatively, just in case any of the Rocket's tried to make a move, not that they'd get very far considering how they were restrained.

As his eyes wandered, he confirmed what he'd assumed. The others will still taking it hard. Only a few others seemed even sentient. He locked eyes with Paul first, then Tracey. James. Dawn... Each were in a state much like Brock's; ready to act, but not quite knowing how.

It took a few moments but eventually, Dawn made a move, stepping carefully towards Ash. Feeling motivated by the act, Brock marched forward as well. Everyone was fairly close together, save for Ash, whom hadn't moved since the ambulance made its exit.

The actions made by their friends caused most of the others drop their empty looks. Now, each set of eyes followed the bluenette and the doctor, who'd already made their way to Ash's side.

Neither Dawn nor Brock were surprised when Ash didn't acknowledge their presence. They had all taken Rose's death hard, but it was obvious that Ash was impacted the most. It was more than understandable; his obvious feelings of guilt made this event much more difficult than it should have been.

And although they would never agree with this line of thinking, Dawn, Brock and the others could understand it. Team Rocket was out to kill _him_ and so it seemed that anyone caught in between became an unfortunate victim of Ash's journey.

Pikachu, who still sat perched on his trainer's shoulder, immediately noticed the two approaching. He hadn't been able to shake his trainer out of this trance-like state himself, so he shot a pleading look to the bluenette and the doctor, which did not go unnoticed.

Dawn was determined to help. For once, she wanted to be the sturdy one. She wanted to help Ash instead of the other way around. Though the remnants of tears still rimmed her eyes, Dawn spoke with a soft and level voice, "Ash...? Are you okay?"

Ash didn't respond for a few moments, leading Dawn to believe that he hadn't even registered what she'd said.

Seeing this, Brock took a step forward and prepared to speak. However, it was at this moment that Ash responded with a slow shake of the head, "No. No, I'm not. It's going to be a long time before I can truly say I'm okay again..."

The group was shocked by Ash's words. Even though everyone knew that this had to be what Ash was feeling, no one expected him to vocalize it. These weren't the words of the hopelessly optimistic boy they knew. He sounded so defeated...

...like he'd given up.

But everyone knew better.

Ash would never give up, especially not when something so important was on the line. With this in mind, Brock couldn't help but allow the smallest of smiles grace his features. Ash had done a lot of growing up over the years, but the fact that he now felt comfortable enough to share his true feelings to his friends, Brock knew he'd fully matured.

The gang didn't have to wait long for Ash to do what they'd expected; to put the darkness behind him and motivate everyone to continue forward.

"But that doesn't matter, because we're going to keep pushing forward. We have to, or else Rose's death will have been for nothing."

Ash then turned his head to face Dawn and the rest of his friends, his eye's still red and puffy from tears, and smiled sadly, "It's my fault she's dead, and I'll have to live with that forever. But in a way, she gave her life so that I could continue on. We can't waste that."

Dawn and Brock wanted to argue his conclusion, that it wasn't his fault, but the timing was anything but right, so they held their tongues.

Most everyone, including the Officer Jenny that had been with the group from the start of this tragic day, had come forward, standing around the young trainer that connected them all. Everyone was in agreement with Ash. Though everyone was prepared to move forward, motionless bodies and silence plagued the assemblage. The muteness seemed to stretch on for hours but in reality, on a few minutes could have passed.

Even though she had not known the woman personally, Jenny couldn't help but fall into the same somber mood as those around her. Not only that, but she still didn't know who had been lost in the station explosion...

She did her best to shake the thought off, but was having a harder time than she originally imagined.

Hearing a commotion behind her, Jenny turned just in time to see several other officers, some Jennys and some not, all from the Pewter Police Department descend from the sky on the backs of Ferrow, Pidgeotto and Pigeot alike.

The new arrivals gave her a glance and a head nod, telling Jenny that they would handle the situation from there on out. Of course, they would have to talk about everything, manners professional _and_ personal, at some point.

Turning back toward the young group, she immediately recognized she needed to do something. Though, she had no idea what. It was the deafening silence and the disgruntled faces of the young adults, the _children_ around her that finally forced her mouth to move.

"As soon as I can, I'll look into Rose, see if she had a will or something of the sort." Jenny started. "You all should go relax for a while. The house we were in earlier is mine, feel free to go there and rest. And, uh, maybe do a load of laundry..."

Officer Jenny finished her sentence as her eyes locked on Ash's body. Following her gaze, the rest of the group realized why she'd said what she did.

Ash was completely covered in blood, none of it being his own. He hadn't even noticed until that moment, but when he did, he immediately became sick to his stomach. This feeling was mirrored by those around him.

Wanting nothing more than to cleanse himself, not only of the blood but of the whole situation, Ash quickly tore off his jacket and T-Shirt. Although his pants were also stained red, he maintained the courtesy to keep those on for the time being.

The others had peeled their eyes from Ash by this time, the sight being too much to handle for many.

Stepping forward, Tracey spoke, "Officer Jenny, thank-"

"Nora. Call, me Nora. I think after what happened today we should be on a first name basis." Officer Jenny, Nora, interrupted.

Seeing the incredulous looks on a few of the group member's faces, Nora elaborated, "You didn't think we all had the same first name, did you?"

Tracey, after taking in what should have been obvious information, nodded his head, "Okay, Nora. I was just going to say thank you. For allowing us to use your home...and, you know, everything else."

Nora scoffed and laughed half-heartedly, "Please, I should be thanking you. Without your help, there is no way we would have been able to take down those criminals. Many more innocent people would've lost their lives had you all not been here."

Though meant to be reassuring, Nora's words only seemed to unease everyone. Most because they knew what had to be going on in Ash's mind. As expected, her words hit Ash hard. Sure, they had managed to help, but it seemed almost like cleaning up a mess that _he_ himself created. Had he not been there at all, then no one would have had to die. Thoughts like these weren't new, but the guilt of it all was really starting to build.

However, Ash decided against voicing his thoughts. He knew that his friends wouldn't allow him to believe what he did, and he did not want to argue with them at the moment. Besides, they were still on the most important and dangerous journey of their lives; there would be time to wallow in guilt after everyone was back home, safe.

Ash decided then that, at least for the rest of the day, he would just go along with everyone else. He desperately wanted a break from being "leader" for a while.

Seeing nothing else to do and no movement from anyone, Paul took the lead and began his walk toward the house, an action soon followed by those around him. It wasn't long before the large group of friends disappeared inside the house and out of Nora's sight.

* * *

**A/N: So, uh, I guess I have some explaining to do. Hehe... I meant to get this out so, so, so long ago, but life kind of took hold of me for a while. With school and baseball throughout February-May, I had very little time and when I did have time, I didn't want to rush through this chapter because this story is precious to me and I want it to be as good as possible. So rather than pushing a forced chapter out, I took my time. Baseball has been taking up a lot of time because I've gotten my workout program from the college I'll be playing for so I've been doing that and that has been wearing me out.**

**Once the summer started, I took a bit of time to watch some anime that I've been meaning to watch and played a few games. However, about two weeks ago, I started writing again, and i really got going. I have almost two chapters done of this story already and I have 50,000 words of another pokemon story that will come out in mid-July.**

**Now that I have more free time, I will be writing a lot more. Chapters will actually be coming out often and I promise I won't go on another long term hiatus as long as I have control over it. I love you all for being so patient with me and I hope you continue to enjoy the story.**

**As for this chapter, I would like to address the "gun" topic here. Obviously, guns are rarely mentioned in the anime (only one appearance in a banned episode) so everything about them in this story was created by me to add another element to the plot. Having that extra element of danger that doesn't allow the use of pokemon for every situation was necessary. Also, I know I made Nora hate guns and her rant might be seen as a social commentary. However, these are simply the views of a _fictional character_. If you want to know what I think of guns in the _real_ world, I will say that I am a big supporter of the second amendment. I personally am very well versed with weapons of all kinds because my dad loves to take me shooting and I enjoy going. Not only that, but a gun has saved my father's life at one point so I am a big supporter of _LAW ABIDING _citizens carrying firearms.**

**Also, a member with the pen-name, Tokipelto pointed out something I already realized, that the girls so far have been portrayed as damsels in distress. In reality, I want May, Dawn, Serena, and Misty all have major contributing roles. If not in physical acts, since often times Ash and Paul etc. are better suited to take care of that, then definitely using their minds well. Though, if this chapter is any indication, May is kind of a secret badass and I won't spoil anything, but the others will start to "learn" a bit in terms of physicality as well. Thank you Tokipelto for pointing this out. I had plans to make this change, but it was nice to see you're paying attention ;)**

**Q and A:**

**Q: Why did you kill Rose**

**A: It was necessary for the group to experience.**

**And that's it! I hope you guys have some more to say next chapter in the reviews!**

**The next chapter will be coming out very soon. Stay tuned! See ya!**


	14. Dealing and A Realization

**A/N: Since there has been such a long break from lsat chapter to this, I highly recommend reading the last chapter again. But for those too lazy to do so, I'll do a brief summary. But seriously, you should READ THE LAST CHAPTER AGAIN! **

_Summary of Chapter 13: Nora manged to keep her cool when the others couldn't, devising a plan to save the hostages and hr ew friend from the hands of Team Rocket. Showing incredible bravery, Nora and Ash's group managed to do away with the Rocket's. After May had disarmed the leader, Ash took it upon himself to put him out of commission, almost killing him the process, even though it wasn't necessary. He was only stopped from doing so by Nora pulling him off of the leader. They then were forced to begin to deal with the reality that someone had died because of them. Nora offered up her house to the grieving group in order to help them recuperate._

* * *

A Trial of Will

"Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign of a pure heart."

-Jose N. Harris

Nora let out a deep, shaky breath as the last retreating figure disappeared behind her front door. Now that Ash and the others were out of sight, the wall guarding her emotions took a sharp hit. She still had work to do, she knew that, but without anyone to be strong for, Nora was having a harder time than she imagined focusing on the task at hand.

It didn't take long for her thoughts to wander. She tried everything to push the thoughts away, but trying to find something else in the jumbled mess of her mind to concentrate on was proving nearly impossible. Just as the thoughts began to consumer her and a few silent tears managed to fall from the police woman's eyes, a hand found itself on her shoulder.

Turning around, Nora met the familiar face of her sister, Pamela, the chief of the Pewter City Police Department. Nora quickly attempted wiping away the few stray tears that had managed to fall and once again put on a brave face.

"Pamela, I... there was an explosion and..." Nora started quickly, mumbling nearly incoherently until she was silenced by her sister's reassuring look.

"I know. They told us everything when we were called." Pamela stated, receiving a curt nod of recognition in response.

Afraid of the answer to the question circling Nora's mind, The pair fell into silence for a few moments. Though, it didn't take long until a sudden burst of courage rang throughout her body,allowing her to let the question ring out, "I-is there any news on who was in the station when it..."

Nora's breathing hitched before she could finish the sentence. Any confidence she'd had at that moment had left in a hurry.

Not knowing what else to do in the moment, Pamela pulled her younger sister into a reassuring hug, "Try not to worry about that right now. I will say that a lot of officers were out when it happened, most are just showing up now. Quite a few were in Pallet or deep within the forest between Pallet and Viridian. We'd gotten a call from professor Samuel Oak about a Team Rocket member tied up in the forest, so a few officers went to go pick him up and investigate."

The news filled Nora with hope, but the somewhat vague answer still left a deep worry in her heart. She still didn't know exactly _who_ had lost their lives in the blast... Without noticing, she had been crying into her sisters uniform, nearly soaking it all the way through.

Realizing what she was doing, Nora immediately pulled away and stood tall. She wiped the tears from her eyes before she spoke, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be letting my emotions get the best of me. I'm an officer of the law and I have to act like it."

Pamela smiled sadly at her little sister's feeble attempt to stay professional, "Nora, you've been on the force for less than a year. You're only 26 years old and plus, you're not even on duty. What happened today is something that no one, and I mean no one, could have expected. You handled this situation like a real veteran! I think you've more than earned the right to take a break."

Putting a reassuring hand on Nora's shoulder, Pamela continued, "You've proven to be an amazingly strong person here today. But just because you're strong doesn't mean that you're not allowed to feelf."

Nora let her posture loosen up upon hearing these words. She fully intended to let everything out sometime very soon, but there was still a bit more work that needed to be done before that could happen.

"I couldn't have done it without Ash Ketchum and his friends. They were willing to put themselves in harms way just to save those people." Nora reminded her sister, to which she nodded in recognition. She'd been told all of whom been involved as the information was gathered.

"It's lucky that they were here. But even still, you handled yourself incredibly..." Pamela said, though the last part fell on deaf ears.

"_Lucky they were here."_

Nora couldn't help but remember Ash telling her the reason why Team Rocket was in Viridian in the first place. If Ash hadn't been there at all, then...

As quickly as the thought came, Nora pushed it out of her head. It wasn't Ash's fault that he was being hunted. He didn't choose for this to happen. To blame him would be absolutely insane. She cursed herself for even allowing the thought to enter her mind.

With thoughts of the boy fresh in her mind, she remembered the promise she'd made to him and his grieving friends.

Snapping out of her thoughts and cutting her still-rambling sister off, Nora started, "I need someone to look into the woman that was killed here today. Her first name is Rose, but I don't think I ever got her last name. She worked at the hospital though, it shouldn't be hard to find out. I promised the others that I would find out what she wanted done with her remains, if she had a will."

Nora spoke so fast and sternly that Pamela almost didn't understand her. Luckily though, she did, as confirmed by the nodding of her head.

"I'll get someone on that right away." Pamela started. Deciphering just how serious Nora was about the subject, she continued, "But that person won't be you. I want you to go home and get some rest. You've had a very stressful day. We can handle everything from here."

Nora was visibly hesitant; she wanted this done as soon as possible. She had been ready to track Rose's documents down herself, her determination to help the large group pushing her wavering emotions to the back of her mind momentarily. Not only that, but she was also terrified that the moment she didn't have a task to focus on, her emotional walls would crumble completely. She was almost ready to argue but...

She was tired.

More tired than she'd ever been in her life. And as seconds ticked by, going home and getting rest sounded more and more appealing.

Plus, she had faith the other officers, especially since she knew that Pamela could sense how important this was to her.

"Okay, but please get it done ASAP. And once you find out, let me know. And we definitely need to talk later." Nora said, the exhaustion she was feeling beginning to show in her voice.

"Definitely. I'm also going to have to talk to everyone else that was involved, but that shouldn't be a problem since they're staying with you for the time being." Pamela responded

Without fully processing what was said to her, Nora nodded and quickly disappeared into her home, finally comfortable enough to let the other officers take hold of the situation.

As she disappeared into her home, Pamela couldn't help but think about how little her sister had changed over the years. She'd always been one to be able to focus and get things done when things looked bad, today had proved that a hundred times over. Pamela couldn't help but allow a small smile to spread across her face.

"_...You're gonna do great things.."_

The gang watched absentmindedly from their positions in the living room as Nora trudged tiredly through the front door, eventually disappearing into the master bedroom with just a small wave indicating that she even recognized that they were there.

After entering the home, everyone had changed into a spare set of clothing, waiting patiently for their turn to use one of the houses few showers. As this went on, Brock and Serena accepted the task of running the clothes through the wash.

The two performed their duties in silence. It wasn't that they didn't to talk, it was more a case of they didn't know what to say.

Everything had calmed down, sure, but what could really be said after such a day? The mood hanging over everyone's heads was dark, and it seemed no one could find the thing to say that would lighten them up. Time seemed to be the only thing that would help.

It wasn't until Serena had placed the first load of laundry into the washer that the silence was broken.

"Grahh..." Brock moaned in frustration. Though it wasn't exactly a word, Serena still welcomed the interruption.

Looking over at Brock to see why he'd grunted, she noticed he was still scrubbing away at some cloth in the sink. As Serena prepared the majority of the clothing for the wash, Brock had taken up the task of trying to salvage Ash jacket, shirt and pants. That had started a little over 5 minutes ago.

Not that Serena was surprised. The crimson liquid had stained so much of the white and red jacket and pants that they could hardly be recognized. There was no chance that the stains were going to come out entirely, but Brock insisted on trying.

Now, five minutes of constant scrubbing later, Brock had still made no headway.

"Brock, I don't think that's going to come out, no matter what you do. Why don't you just leave it? I'm sure Ash will be fine with losing one set of clothes." Serena stated, her words managing to slow Brock's vigorous scrubbing. After a few moments, he finally stopped.

Serena watched as Brock set down the rag he was using to scrub and let Ash's clothes fall into a heap in the sink. The man then place his hands on either side of the sink and put his head down, seemingly in defeat.

Serena was slightly confused. It was just a set of clothes after all; Ash would understand. Hell, he probably wouldn't want these clothes again anyway.

"Brock, what's wrong?" Serena asked after a while of no movement or sound from the doctor. There was an obvious answer but Serena sensed there was more.

Serena's words seemed to register with Brock as a few moments after she finished speaking, he sighed loudly and slowly raised his head.

Serena was shocked to find Brock's eyes about to overflow with tears.

With a sad smile, Brock spoke, "It's nothing. Just... something stupid."

Brock planned to leave it at that, but Serena's look told him that she was expecting him to continue. With a heavy sigh, Brock dropped the forced smile and prepared to speak.

"You know how I am. I'm the oldest so I always try my hardest be responsible. To stay positive all the time."

Brock paused momentarily, seemingly thinking about his next words, "I just feel like...not being able to get the blood out of Ash's clothes... it just feels like if I can't get the stain out of the clothes, then the stain on all of us from what happened won't go away either. That this is going to haunt us forever."

Brock finished, allowing a lone tear to fall. It was obvious to see how scared he was.

Without allowing Serena to speak, Brock continued while looking back toward the crumpled clothes in the sink, "Up until now, I was certain that this thing would turn out all right. That we would get Delia, bring her home, and maybe even take down Team Rocket for good in the process. Even after Ash was shot, I still didn't have any doubts, but after today..."

Brock looked back at Serena, "It's just getting really hard to keep that unwavering faith up, you know? Someone died today, Serena. Someone we knew. I don't doubt my friends, but I'm afraid that this might be too much for us in the end."

Brock finished, his voice breaking slightly near the end. A few more tears found their way down his face, a strange sight coming from Brock

Serena listened intently to Brock's words. He was right about himself, she noted. Not once had she ever sensed a shred of doubt or negativity coming from Brock. Thinking about it, Brock had many times been the one to pick everyone up. He was the older brother no one in the group ever had.

Staying true to his roots, he was their rock.

And Serena couldn't imagine how difficult that must have been for him. Everyone had been focusing so much on Ash, though for good reason, that no one had really stopped to think about everyone else, including themselves.

Even though Brock voiced that he was having doubts about the journey, Serena knew that wasn't true. As he said, he had faith in his friends. He was just scared, and rightfully so. The atrocity they'd just witnessed would be enough to break down even the strongest of people.

Gathering her breath, Serena got Brock's attention, "Brock, it's okay to be afraid of what's going to happen. It would be strange if you weren't. Just because you're older than us doesn't mean that you're not allowed to be scared, especially on this journey."

Serena looked down slightly, a small smile forming on her face as she continued, "You've always been like an older brother to me, to all of us. And I know that to myself, Ash, and Dawn, you are the closest thing we've ever really had to a father. And you've taken on those roles for so many years so perfectly."

Serena took a few steps towards the doctor until they were faced to face. Brock looked down at the blonde girl, not knowing what to say. Her words had meant a lot to him, and were almost enough to clear him of his tears.

Smiling softly, Serena started again, "And while all of that is true, you're still human. Being scared, having doubts, it's all natural. But you know that, because this is something you'd be saying to me or Ash."

This caused the two to giggle.

Serena turned serious, "We're going to get through this, Brock. I know it and you know it. And you're going to be there for us, just like you always are."

Before Brock had time to say anything, Serena wrapped her arms around the older man in a hug, which he returned. Everything Serena had said was true, it was such an unfamiliar feeling to Brock to feel so uncertain in his friends and the situation and that scared him. But that _was_ normal. And in the end, he truly did believe that they would be okay.

"I see I've rubbed off on you at least a little bit these past couple of years." Brock smiled, earning a giggle from the blond.

The two slowly broke the hug and sent each other a reassuring smile. It was at that moment that Tracey appeared in the doorway.

"Hey you two. I came to see if I could be of any help. Brock, Serena, maybe you want a little break?" Tracey questioned.

Brock looked toward Serena, wordlessly asking if it was okay. Receiving a smile and a nod of the head, Brock accepted Tracey's offer. He was hoping he might be able to get a shower in, if everyone else was done that is.

Tracey greeted Serena before looking around to see what he could help with. It didn't take long for his eyes to land on the heap of clothing in the sink.

"Hey Serena, what should we do with these?" Tracey asked about the bloodied clothes.

Serena looked over to see what he was referring to before answering, "Just throw it out. Ash will understand. It's better that way."

With that said Tracey placed the clothes aside, planning to take them to the trash outside later.

* * *

After being in the house for just under an hour, most everyone had showered. Brock was occupying the shower at the moment and would surely be done in just a few minutes.

It was quiet for a long time; it wasn't until 45 minutes had gone by that the silence finally got to them. Paul was the first to say anything. It wasn't anything major, just meager conversation with those around him, who happened to be Misty, James and Meowth at the time.

May was seated next to Dawn on the couch, with Max not being to far away. Ash had isolated himself from the others, though with the confines of the room, he still wasn't too far away from everyone else. His back was up against a wall and his eyes were closed and had been since they entered the house. Though, everyone could tell that he wasn't asleep.

They were all tired, but sleep seemed to be just out of reach for everyone.

Seeing Paul and those around him talking, May and Dawn also started up a lighthearted conversation, hoping to kill the somber mood. It was much more difficult than usual for the two friends with so much in common to find something to talk about, but they'd somehow managed to force something at least. They would have loved to have gotten Ash in on the conversation, if only to get his mind off of things, but it was obvious that he didn't really feel like talking at the moment.

At some point when Dawn was speaking, May's mind took a detour She didn't know why she'd thought about it, maybe because Max always seemed to interrupt her at some point, but May was a bit confused as to how Max had yet to say a word. Yet to interrupt somebody.

Dawn was in mid-sentence, when May turned her head and looked to where Max was seated on the floor. His knees were pulled up to his chest and his arms were wrapped tightly around them. He held a stoic expression on his face, which was not common for the high-energy boy.

Max had been able to fight back his terror along with the others when they were getting pumped up just before they took out the grunts because he knew that they had to do something. He was able to push all of his feelings to the back of his mind, just in case anyone needed help.

But now that he'd had some time to settle down, the shock and fear that came with what he'd seen had slowly been pushing it's way to the forefront of his mind. In the long silence that followed the entrance of the house, Max had plenty of time to replay the moment in his mind. And replay it did, over...and over...and over...

As May noticed his position, her heart sunk like a rock. How could she have forgotten about Max? The event was traumatizing for everyone, but Max was just 14 years old, and it was obvious that he was taking it hard. She cursed herself for being so negligent.

Dawn was slightly annoyed that May had cut her off, "Hey! May, what are you-"

As Dawn followed May's line of sight, her eyes softened as she came to the same conclusion that May had.

May turned her head away from her younger brother and stared into her lap, a look of regret overcoming her face. It was Dawn that managed to shake her out of this gaze.

"We should talk to him." Dawn whispered, receiving a nod from May in response. Not wanting to waste any time, the two made their move, with May at the forefront.

Since they were so close, it didn't take long for the two girls to reach the youngest member of their group, whom didn't even notice the two beauties approaching. Both girls crouched to meet Max's level and looked to each other, each one wondering how to start.

"...Max?" May started, hoping to gain her brother's attention. Seeing that Max still hadn't met her gaze, she continued, "Max...are you alright?"

Max seemed to register May's last sentence as his head slowly moved up until he was looking at the two girls crouched in front of him. His face remained stoic which to the two girls, was an even worse sign than if he was panicked.

A few moments went by before the boy with glasses finally spoke, "...I don't know, May. What happened today...I never could've imagined anything like that happening."

Dawn's expression changed to one of great sympathy, "None of us did, Max. It was a huge shock to all of us."

"I just don't get it...just...why?" Max asked, his voice hollow.

"What do you mean, Max? May questioned. Obviously, it had to do with the event that'd just transpired, but they had to know exactly what he was talking about if they were to help him.

Max's gaze was on the girls, but it seemed he was almost looking through them.

"Why do all of that, just to get to Ash? Why do they want him so much? How can anyone be so cold? So heartless? She was innocent. They all were...why...how could anyone do such a thing?" Max finished, finally showing emotion on his face. A few stray tears began streaming down his face.

"Oh, Max" May had no answers for him, so she did the only thing she could think to do; hug him. To show him he wasn't alone.

Dawn could only look on in sadness. All of Max's questions were good ones, and now they were cycling through her head as well. It was beginning to overwhelm her, but she knew she had to stay strong. She had to get past this. They all did. And Max needed the help more than she did.

The three stayed in their current positions for a few moments, just allowing their thoughts to overtake them. They had also drawn the attention of most everyone else in the large room. The sight saddened them all, but they knew this was just a necessary part of getting past this event.

As May and Max remained in their embrace, one particular person was thinking deeply about Max's questions. His face hadn't changed from the stoic one that'd been plastered on him for almost an hour, but his eyes were locked on the siblings and the bluenette.

He knew that he had to get past this, that they all did, and sitting around moping, letting his thoughts consume him wasn't helping anything. This was just how it is now. The fact was, the danger was much more real. Lives were at stake, and more than just the lives of those in their group. This was their new reality, and they had to be strong enough to face it. And he was their leader, he knew that even if no one had outright said it. He had to lead by example. He had to be the strongest out of all of them. And he was going to start now.

It would be hard of course and he would need closure with the whole Rosa thing, but Ash knew what he had to do. Ash stood up, catching everyone's attention, but May and Dawn's. They all watched as he approached the sibling duo, crouching to their level after reaching them.

Max looked over May's shoulder, meeting Ash's gaze. When May saw that Max had pulled away slightly and was looking past her, she turned as well to see Ash crouching there. Dawn had stepped back slightly, to allow the man room when he originally approached.

"Max...you have no idea how sorry I am that you had to see that. That any of you had to see that." Ash looked around the room at everybody as they spoke. "As hard as it is to say, this is our reality now. We know how far Team Rocket will go to get to me. We know we're not the only one's in danger. We have to be strong, or we're gonna have a real hard time getting through this."

Ash then turned his attention back to Max, "Max, I was hoping that trying to give you answers to your questions would help you get past this. Obviously I don't know for sure, but I think I have a few ideas..."

Max had long stopped crying, and his full attention was on his idol. Ash also held the attention of everyone else in the room. They wanted to hear what he had to say as much as Max did. And they were hoping that he was right; that this would help them work past what they were going through.

"Team Rocket is willing to do anything; we know that now. They want me because I've stopped them many times in the past, a lot of you were even there to help me. Obviously, they're planning to do something big, something bigger than they've ever done before, and they want to make sure nothing gets in their way...especially me." Ash paused for a moment, allowing his theories to sink in.

May's eyes had grown teary along with her brothers during their hug and now, he's questions were plaguing her mind as well. She spoke during this pause, "But...why just you...? Others have stopped their plans before. It's not fair that they're only after you. That you're the one with the weight of it all on your shoulders. It just...not fair."

May's voice trailed off at the end, her emotions overtaking her. She knew she was in danger as well, but they were specifically after Ash, the man she loved more than anything in the world. Just like Ash, she worried about others more than herself. The same could surely be felt by the other two girls who had feelings for Ash.

Ash smiled sadly a the beautiful brunette, "I know it's not fair...but that's life. I don't know why so much always seems to have me at the center of it. I hate it as much as you do, but there's nothing we can do about it but fight through it and stay strong. We will get through this, but only if we stay together and have each others backs."

Ash stood to his feet, "We lost someone today. Despite not knowing her for long, we cared for her greatly. But we also saved the lives of many others. We saved those hostages by coming together and keeping our cool. If we keep that up, I know we can beat this thing."

No one really knew what to say at the moment. It seemed that Ash had done a complete 180 from just a few minutes ago; he went from not speaking a word, to speaking to everyone encouragingly. As if he could read their minds, Ash responded to their thoughts.

Ash sighed before beginning, "Look...I know you all see me as the 'leader' of our group. And I accept the responsibility that comes along with it. But I have been a terrible leader as of late."

Ash turned his head, gazing out the window before continuing, "Losing my cool, breaking down, being damn near helpless in situations where that is a huge detriment to not only myself, but to all of you..." Ash turned back to face his friends, "I promised to protect you guys, and I have not been doing a good job of it. I need to be better. I _will_ be better."

"Ash this may be true, but you always come around just in the knick of time. You always come through in the end." Serena said, not liking how Ash was talking down to himself.

"That's exactly it, Serena. I can't let it get to that point. We've been _this_ close to being hurt because I can't act until the last moment. We're in a situation so much different than anything we've ever experienced before. I can't be like that anymore. I can't be so easily affected by things. It's going to be hard and it may take just a bit of time, but I swear to you all, I will do it...to make sure you all stay safe."

Everyone in the room had mixed reactions to his words. Many were touched by his sincerity, for his willingness to sacrifice for them, but many were also frustrated. Not at Ash, but at the fact that he had to take on so much. That the world had seemingly dealt him such a shitty hand.

No one sad a word for a good while. After a few moments, Max slowly stood up, and walked until he was directly in front of Ash. His face was serious, and the only trace of sadness left on his face were his slightly red eyes.

"Ash...we will do everything we can to help you. We've said this before, but I'll say it again; you're not alone here. We all care about you so much; we just want to take some of the weight off of your shoulders. So I know I speak for us all when I say that we _will _get past this. We will push through and we will save your mom." As soon as Max finished his speech, he brought Ash into a hug.

Ash was momentarily shocked by the maturity of the 14 year old's words, but still managed to hug the boy back. He knew his friends would want to do anything they could to help, but hearing it said aloud was beyond reassuring. Even still, Ash vowed to take the most responsibility. Even if it wasn't intentional, he knew most of the pressure fell on him, and he was okay with that. He could handle it.

Ash let a smile spread across his face as Max began to pull away. He looked down, meeting Max's gaze before speaking.

"You're a pretty smart kid, you know that?" Ash asked with a chuckle.

Max smiled in response. He was glad that he was made to fell better, but he was even more happy that he could return the favor to the person he looked up to the most.

"Yeah, well...one of us had to get the brains in the family." Max stated, letting a giggle of his own.

"HEY! You little jerk!" May exclaimed at the boy, stepping toward him threateningly. But despite how she seemed, everyone could tell this was just a fun sibling interaction.

Everyone laughed as May successfully bruised Max's arm. This was something they all needed after the day they'd just had. And because after today, they weren't sure how many more of these happy moments were going to come up in the near future. That was a scary thought for everyone, but nobody dwelled on it.

For now, they would just take what they could get.

* * *

Nora came out of her room about an hour later, appearing at least semi-rested. She decided she would sit around and chat with the group, who were now deep in conversation. She thought for sure that they would all still be in silence as they were when she entered, so she was surprised to see them all chatting. Nora was still standing near the entry way to the living room, just watching the group of friends.

Nora immediately notice that while the mood was still somewhat dark and somber, which was to be expected after experiencing such a tragedy, it was also easy to tell they were just trying to do their best to move past it. To not dwell on what'd happened too much. Their conversations seemed to make more sense to her now...

For that, Nora was incredibly glad. She couldn't believe how much these kids had to go through on just this day alone. And she knew of Ash Ketchum's past heroics. Most people did. She found it hard to believe that boy had been through so much in just 18 years of life.

She looked to her left and say Ash talking normally with Serena, May, Dawn and Paul. She almost couldn't believe it. Knowing the whole story of why Team Rocket was here, what they wanted, Nora didn't know how Ash hadn't crumbled completely. Sure, he had been a wreck hours earlier, but now she could tell he was trying his best to move past it. They all were.

The level of maturity shown by the group impressed the officer immensely. Had she heard what Ash and Max had said earlier, she would've respected the group even more.

As she still stood near the entranceway, she noticed someone approaching from her right. The oldest member of the group walked slowly toward the officer, a small smile on his face. Nora returned Brock's smile and gave him a nod of acknowledgement.

Brock came to a stop when he was right at Nora's side. "Good to see you up. How was your nap?"

"Fantastic." Nora replied immediately, "I definitely needed it"

Brock chuckled at her response, "Yeah, I can understand that. After all that you did today, anyone would be exhausted."

"Speaking of which, I'm surprised none of you guys are asleep. For as much as I did today, you guys did just as much, if not more." Nora stated questioningly.

Brock turned his attention to his friends, watching them chat lightheartedly with a sad smile on his face, "We're all tired. Exhausted even. But right now, _this_ is what we need." Brock motioned to his friends before turning back to face Nora, his face turning serious, "You should've seen it when you were asleep. I've never felt in such a somber aura. No one said a word for what felt like forever. It wasn't until about an hour ago anyone said anything. We just had way to much time to think."

Nora noticed Brock was going to continue, so she held her tongue as the former gym leader's sad smile returned to his face, "This is the only way we're going to get past this. If we don't stay together, we won't even have to worry about Team Rocket because we're going to crumble all by our selves. They need to keep their mind off of the bad stuff anytime they get the chance."

"And what about you?" Nora asked the taller man, who's smile still remained.

"I've always been the oldest in the group. I guess I always just kind of took on the role of older brother, even a father figure to some." Brock shrugged, thinking about his earlier conversation with Serena. "While we need to get the bad stuff off of or mind, we can't simply forget it. We have to learn from it. So I guess I've kind of taken that responsibility for myself. Ash and Paul are the same way. All three of us would happily feel all the pain just to make sure no one else has to."

Nora looked at the man beside her with great admiration. Throughout the day, her respect for Ash, Brock and their group had grown tremendously. It was very easy to see that Brock was an incredibly good person.

"You really care about them a lot, don't you?" Nora asked, though she already knew the answer.

Brock nodded without hesitation, his sad smile being replaced with a genuinely happy one, "They're my family. I have a lot of brothers and sisters back home, but dare I say, I may even be closer with these guys then I am with my own flesh and blood. Ash Especially."

Both sets of eyes fell on the raven haired trainer as Brock continued speaking, "I've been with him for almost the entirety of his journey. I've seen the things he's done first hand. He's helped me in more ways than he will ever know. That man is as much my brother as any of my family back home." Brock's voice was unwavering, showing Nora just how serious he was, "I just wish he didn't always have to bear so much weight. Every time something bad happens, it seems that he's always at the center of it. I just wish I could help him somehow."

Seeing Brock's expression change to one of sadness, she placed a hand on the slightly younger man's shoulder, turned so that the two were standing face to face and met his gaze.

"Brock, you _are_ helping him. Just by being here, you're helping him. From what you've told me, you've always been there for him in the same way he has for you. It's easy to see how much he respects you. How much they all do." Nora paused for a moment, looking deep into Brock's eyes, "Brock, you're such a great person. And from what I can tell, you have helped Ash and the others just as much as they've helped you."

Brock was momentarily surprised when he found Nora's hand on his shoulder, but he'd listened intently to everything she had to say. Her words managed to sooth him, even despite the fact that he'd known her for less than a day. Brock could tell she had very good intuition, and everything she was saying was sincere. Having a third party comment on something like this was incredibly reassuring.

Brock smiled brightly at the off duty officer, "Thank you, Nora. That really means a lot."

Nora smiled back, just as brightly, "It's no problem, Brock. I mean every word."

As she spoke, both parties became aware that Nora's hand was still on Brock's shoulder, causing her to pull away quickly and both parties to blush lightly.

"S-Sorry about that..." Nora stated shyly.

"D-Don't worry about it...Um...should we go join the others?" Brock questioned, providing an out for the both of them. After getting over their embarrassment, they joined the rest of the group in the living room.

Not too long after Nora and Brock joined their friends, a knock was heard at the door. Since it was her house, Nora stood up and answered it. She wasn't too surprised to see her sister, Pamela in the doorway. To Nora, it was obvious that she had some sort of news; her interest was immediately peaked.

"What'd you find out, Pamela." Nora asked quickly.

"Geez Nora, I know you're eager, but can I at least come in first? Ash and his friends are in there, right? I want them to hear this. I'd also really like to meet the people that helped out my baby sister so much." Pamela finished lightheartedly. Nora could tell that she definitely didn't have what one would consider 'great' news, and she was trying to cover it up.

Pamela could tell that her sister could see right through her, causing her to sigh, "You know, you really are too intuitive for your own good...But can I please come in first?"

Nora didn't say a word, instead she simply stepped aside to allow entry to the officer. It was a short walk to the living room, less than ten steps, and those inhabiting said room had heard the two talking and were now expecting the other officer to appear at any second.

In a matter of seconds, both Pamela and Nora appeared from around the corner, making themselves known to the group. Pamela's gaze went around the room, stopping when it reached a certain raven haired trainer.

No one said a word as she slowly approached the boy with the Pikachu on his shoulder. She paused when only about 3 feet of space separated them.

"You're Ash Ketchum, correct." She knew what the boy looked like of course as he was a well known trainer, especially after conquering the league this past year. Though, just because of her nature of being a cop, she felt she should still hold up the formalities. At least, at first.

Ash met the woman's gaze and nodded, "I am. How can I help you officer?"

The two shared a gaze for a few more seconds before Pamela shot forward and enveloped the taller boy in a hug. Surprised by the action, Ash didn't react at first. He only moved after she started speaking.

"Thank you for helping my sister. You have no idea how thankful I am." Pamela spoke sincerely.

She'd heard about the explosion that'd occurred a few minutes before Nora managed to call her, and she was terrified that her precious little sister might have perished.

Ash didn't know what to say. A few from the group held looks of jealousy appear on their faces upon seeing the two embrace. More specifically, from May, Dawn, and Serena. Even though it was obvious she was just expressing her thanks, it still bothered the girls that another woman was embracing the man they each loved so dearly.

"It was no problem officer. As a matter of fact, I'd say that Nora was the one who helped us. If she hadn't been there, I don't think things would've turned out so well." Ash spoke, meaning every word. Without Nora there, Ash wasn't sure if they'd have been able to devise a plan. Or if he'd even have been able to break out of his hysteria.

The two broke the embrace after a few moments, and then Pamela turned to face everyone else. "Thank you all. Without you here, I don't even want to think what might've happened. And please, just call me Pamela"

Her words made Ash flinch slightly as his thoughts drifted back to his theory that if he hadn't been in Viridian, then none of this would've happened. He didn't allow himself to dwell on it though; if he did, he'd be going against everything he'd told his friends not an hour earlier.

Serena took a step forward and introduced herself, and then followed up by introducing everyone else. After all of the greetings were out of the way, Nora spoke again.

"I don't mean to be impatient, but I believe that there is something you have to tell us." Nora spoke, barely hiding the impatience in his voice.

Hearing her sister speak, Pamela sighed, "Yeah, I do. It's about the woman that was killed...Rose"

Hearing this peaked everyone's interest, but also made them recoil slightly. They'd temporarily pushed her death to the back of their minds and now, it was time to face reality once again.

Seeing she had the floor, Pamela continued, "I searched everywhere for a will. I asked people at the hospital, had officers check her home, but we couldn't find anything. And as far as we know, she didn't really have anybody she was all that close to."

Hearing the harsh reality of Rose's life made the entirety of the group fall into deep sadness. They knew that everyone who'd ever interacted with her thought her to be a nice person, but it seems she never really allowed anyone to get all that close to her after her family died.

"She has no immediately family either. You guys obviously knew her. How close were you?" Pamela questioned.

James decided to speak for the group, "Actually...we only just met her yesterday at the hospital. She showed us a lot of kindness when we were going through a rough patch."

"Yeah, I guess we can't exactly say we know her all that well." Tracey mentioned.

This revelation caused Pamela to sigh again, "Well, then we're at a bit of a crossroads on what to do with the remains, I suppose."

Seeing both her and Nora in deep thought, obviously about the conundrum at hand, Ash stepped forward, deciding that this needed to be said,

"Excuse me, Pamela?" Ash started, gaining the officer's attention, "Last night, I was going through an incredibly difficult time. I almost lost someone very close to me. Rose talked to me for a long while and I don't know how she did it but somehow, she made me truly believe that everything was going to be alright." Ash paused, thinking about what to say next. Serena couldn't help but smile at how Ash had spoke of her.

"That woman did more for me in half a day than anyone could ever imagine. And now that she's gone, the only thing I can do to repay her is to make sure she receives a proper burial. So if you'll let me, I'd like to have her buried; to have a proper sendoff for this wonderful woman." Ash spoke so earnestly, that it caught the officer off guard. Looking around, she could see the serious faces of the others as they obviously agreed with the raven haired trainer.

Pamela thought it over for a moment. She really didn't have any alternative. If there was no one close to Rose, then she would've just ended up being processed by the city and would have been buried without a funeral. But this woman seemed to have really touched these people in front of her, and she wasn't going to deny them the chance to say goodbye to this woman.

"Okay, that sounds good to me." Pamela said whilst nodding.

Immediately after her causing finished her sentence, Nora spoke, "I want to help. Get everything prepared and send all the costs to me. And let's try to have the funeral early tomorrow, as I'm sure that these guys have somewhere to be."

Nora wanted to have the funeral done soon because she knew of the situation that Ash and his friends were in. He was still on a mission to save his mother, and she knew that had to be time sensitive.

The group of friends looked at Nora in shock. She didn't need to do anything to help them and yet here she was, doing her best to make things easier on them.

"Nora, we really appreciate the offer, but you don't have to do that." Brock stepped forward, feeling that this needed to be said.

"I know I don't have to, Brock. But I _want_ to. I just want to help you all in any way I can." Nora spoke sweetly, with a bright smile on her face.

Her tone of voice and sunning smile caused Brock's cheeks to redden slightly as he nodded in acceptance.

"Thank you, Nora. You've helped us out a lot today." Ash stated sincerely.

Nora smiled in response, saying that she was more than happy to help. The off duty officer then turned her attention back to her sister

"Do you have any other news?" Nora questioned her sister.

Pamela shook her head in response, "Nothing in particular. But I would like to talk to you in private for a bit if you wouldn't mind?"

Nora nodded and motioned toward the direction of her bedroom. Understanding what she meant. She followed her sister's lead so they would be able to have a talk. A talk she really wished she didn't want to have...

As the two sisters reached the room and closed the door, Nora turned toward her sister, a questioning look appearing on her face.

"So what is it you need to talk to me about? Why does this have to be in private? Nora asked as she sat down on her bed. She really didn't like where this was going if Pamela's facial expression was any indication.

Pamela sighed before taking a seat next to her younger sister, "It's about what happened...at the station."

Nora's heart sunk at her sister's words. She'd wanted to know who had died in the blast earlier, but she'd managed to push those awful thoughts to the back of her head for a couple of hours per her sister's request. Plus, her exhaustion also helped her clear her mind. But now, it was time. She needed to know, no matter how bad it would hurt.

Nora gulped, before speaking lowly, "How many...? How many died?"

She didn't see a reason to tiptoe around the subject. This was a harsh reality, and she didn't feel the need to beat around the bush.

"Umm..." Pamela started, her voice breaking as she tried to speak. "Eight. Eight people were in the station when it went up. Including a civilian."

Nora felt a mixture of anger and sadness immediately after the words came out of her sister's mouth. She looked toward the ground as she let out a breath, her mouth agape, an unbelieving look on her face.

"Who? Who was it?" Nora choked out. She needed to know, but even just saying those four words was killing her inside.

Pamela didn't answer immediately, looking at her sister with sorrow. She listed off the names slowly, some were men, a few were non-Jenny officers. Of course, Nora knew all of these people and was deeply sadden by their deaths, but there were two names that stood out to her the most.

"Nora...Alissa...she was there...She's gone..." Pamela barely got those words out, not yet crying but it was clear by the tone of her voice that her emotions were beginning to overtake her.

Nora's breath hitched as the news of her cousin's demise hit her. She'd loved her greatly. Alissa was the one who'd trained her when she first became a police officer. This was by far the worst news she'd ever gotten. Her eyes were still fixated on the ground, her expression still blank.

Pamela didn't say anything for a few moments, trying to allow Nora to get over the shock of what she'd just heard before she was forced to drop another bomb on her.

Nora though, seemed to be waiting impatiently to know who the final person was. She had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she needed to know just who else had been lost on this day.

"Who's the last person?" Nora asked, her gaze finally leaving the floor and falling on her sister. Seeing she wasn't answering right away, she spoke again, not able to hide the emotion in her voice this time. "Tell me, Pamela. I can take it."

A few stray tears found their way down the older woman's face as she looked to her sister once again.

"I'm so sorry, Nora..." Pamela barely got out. She knew that this news was going to hit her sister hard. She wished so badly that she didn't have to tell her this.

"Tell me!" Nora raised her voice, her voice full of fear and sadness, but also great force.

Pamela looked her sister in the eye as tears streaked down her face, sitting in silence for just a few more moments.

"Natasha. Natasha she's...she's gone." Pamela's voice wavered as she spoke. "I know how close you two were. How she was your best friend..."

The older woman had expected her sister to break down in that moment, so she was incredibly shocked to see her sister's expression remain so stoic.

But she knew her sister better than that. She knew the news just hadn't fully hit her yet. Her not reacting immediately just proved to her how hard taking the news was for her.

"Is that it?" Pamela looked at Nora in confusion. "Is that all that you had to tell me?"

"Well...yes, but-" Pamela started before being cut off.

"Then can you please leave me alone for a while. I just need to...let this all sink in." Nora requested, her voice flat.

Pamela looked at her sister with great concern. She wanted to be there for her. She knew she wasn't exactly the best at providing comfort for people but still, she knew that her sister needed someone there with her, but there was no way she would allow her to stay when she already had her mind set. She was stubborn like that. Though, that didn't mean she wasn't going to try.

"Please, Nora. You don't have to go through this alo-" Once again, the senior officer was cut off.

"No...! Just- Pamela, I need some time alone. I promise, I'll be fine I just...need to be alone for a while, okay?" Pamela looked at her sister with uncertainty. "Please, Pamela..."

Sighing in defeat, the woman nodded her head and turned to leave. Her sister's pleading tone of voice once again showed her that she wouldn't be changing her mind anytime soon. Without turning around, Pamela said her final words before taking her leave.

"Just know this, Nora... You don't have to go through this alone. You have me., and you have a room full of people out there that care about you." As soon as Pamela finished speaking, she took her leave, closing the door silently behind her.

Her presence was immediately noticed by the group of friends outside of her door. They hadn't really heard much of the conversation, but they could tell by the look on Pamela's face that the talk wasn't an easy one to have. And it hadn't exactly gone well...

Paul stepped forward, being the first to see the woman's tear streaked face, even with her head down, "Pamela...? Are you okay?"

Immediately, the woman nodded, though her gaze never left the floor.

"I'm just worried about her..." Pamela stated. Everyone knew who she was talking about. And though they weren't sure what'd been discussed, the still wanted to be able to help their new friend.

"Is she okay? What did you guys talk about in there?" It was Brock who spoke this time. He wanted to know what had caused such a reaction from the normally strong officer. Not because of curiosity, but because knowing would surely aid in their ability to help Nora.

She didn't particularity have a problem telling everyone else; Pamela had only wanted to talk to her in private as she knew that her sister wouldn't feel very comfortable becoming so emotional in front of so many people.

"In the explosion, she...she lost some people close to her." Pamela said, deciding it wouldn't hurt to tell her new friends. Her sister obviously trusted them greatly after all, and that meant that she did as well. "She hasn't even reacted yet. I'm just so worried about her. She's never had to go through anything like this."

No one knew what to say. They knew losing someone was hard. And Nora obviously didn't quite know how to react, how to deal with what'd happened.

Everyone could tell that Pamela was in duress, and it seemed to be over more than just her sister's well being. All Jenny's were related in some way and if they had to guess, they were sure that some had to have been lost. Her main focus was clearly on her sister, but she was also dealing with the loss of people as well.

Dawn walked toward the officer, and placed a hand around her shoulder. "Pamela, I know you're worried about your sister, but it's obvious that you lost someone as well. I just want you to know that we're here for you, for both of you."

Pamela met the gaze of the bluenette only to see her smiling at her reassuringly. Looking around the room, she saw the same look n everyone else face as well. This caused a small smile to for on her faec as well.

"Thank you all. You really are good people." Pamela said sincerely.

At this moment, Brock knew he had to do something. Pamela was now but taken care of, Nora still needed help.

He liked Nora. Even after just meeting her, he'd connected with her. She was already a good friend, and they both could tell. Even without having talked much, he, and the others cared about her greatly. Brock knew that he had to do something to help his new friend, a person he cared about.

"I'm going in there." Brock spoke sternly. He took a meaningful step toward the bedroom, only to feel a hand on his chest, causing him to pause his stride. Looking toward the source of the arm, he saw that it was Pamela.

"She said she needed to be alone. That she needs some time for it to hit her." Pamela spoke sadly. Dawn had retracted her arm from the officer when she felt the woman move

Brock's stern look never left his face as the woman spoke. "That may be. But when it does hit her, she's going to need somebody there... And I want to help her."

Pamela met the taller man's gaze. He was unwavering, and she could clearly tell that he cared about her sister very much, even after only having known her a short time. She wanted to be there for her sister too, but she thought that maybe at this moment, she should let this man take the lead. She was in no state herself to comfort another and plus, she wasn't sure she would've been to stop him seeing the seriousness on the man's face.

Slowly, Pamela lowered her arm and nodded her head, giving Brock the clear to go into the room. Brock nodded in appreciation for allowing him to do this. He'd just talked to her about being there for his friends, and he knew this was a time where his caring personality would be able to come into play.

He quickly made his way into the bedroom, closing the door softly behind him.

Even after the door had closed, Nora's eyes still didn't raise from the floor. She had yet to even acknowledge that there was another in the room with her. Brock noticed that her eyes were still dry, no evidence of tears anywhere to be seen. This worried Brock slightly. He knew that holding your emotions in was no way to get past an event like this

Slowly, Brock approached the bed. "Nora? It's me, Brock... Are you okay?"

He knew it was a stupid question, but he didn't really know how to start. Seeing her still not acknowledging his presence, he proceeded forward, sitting on the bed next to her. He left a decent amount of space between them though, as to not overwhelm her.

"Nora..." Brock thought carefully over what to say, but he felt he needed to get a word out as to not allow the silence to overtake them completely.

Brock reluctantly placed a hand on the woman's shoulder, still thinking about what to say. No words seemed to be appropriate for the emotions being felt at the moment.

After a few moments, Brock decided something needed to be said, so he went with his gut...

"...It's okay, Nora."

For whatever reason, these words are what finally made Nora turn to face him. Her expression was still hard, but he could now see the tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

"Why, Brock...? Why do things like this happen...?" Nora spoke, her voice full of emotion, while her face still didn't quite show it. A few stray tears fell down her face, but she still remained a nearly stoic expression.

Brock gave Nora the most sympathetic look he could, "...I don't know, Nora. I don't know why things like this happen. What I do know is that there's only one way to get past it. And that's why it's okay."

"...What's okay?" Nora still had yet to begin _really _crying, but it was clear to see she was on the brink of losing control of her emotions.

"To let it out. You don't have to bottle it up inside." Brock started, looking deeply into the woman's eyes. "The only way to get past this is to let it all out, no reservations. You have your sister to be there for you and now, you have all of us as well. We care about you Nora...I care about you, and I just want to help you."

Nora stared into Brock's eyes for what felt like forever, without reaction. But it wasn't long before something within her broke. First came the tears, and then the sobs. Brock immediately enveloped the woman in a tight embrace, one hand stroking her back while the other was placed on her head.

"It's okay. Let it out. Let it all out" Brock whispered softly, reassuringly.

Nora had her head buried into Brock's chest, soaking it through with her tears, but Brock couldn't care less. All he cared about right now was helping Nora.

The sobs could be heard by everyone on the other side of the door, causing sadness to fill them all. But no one moved a muscle. They all knew that she needed this. Like Brock had said, they knew that this was the only way to get past this horrible event.

Everyone, including Pamela, knew all they could do at this point was wait.

Again, silence completely overtook the entirety of the group. The sobbing had lasted a long while, but it had stopped just about 5 minutes ago. Now, they were just waiting and yet, they didn't even know what exactly they were waiting for.

It was getting later in the evening, and everyone was exhausted; the mental and physical stress of the day was really catching up with them all. But they couldn't sleep. Not yet. They had to make sure their new friend was okay first.

Not two minutes later, the door to the bedroom opened, and everyone stood to their feet. Brock came into view by himself, closing the door behind him.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Brock knew he had to speak.

Brock sighed before a sad smile formed on his face, "She's doing better. She got it out. It's gonna take some time, but she'll get past this. Just like all of us will."

Just as Brock finished speaking, the door opened again. This time, Nora was the one who'd appeared doorway. Seeing all eyes on her, she herself allowed a sad smile to appear on her face.

"I'll be fine you guys. Brock really helped me in there." Nora looked toward the taller man with gratitude painted all over her face. Brock let a genuinely happy smile form on his face as he met her gaze. Nora then turned back to the rest of the group. "It's gonna take some time, but I'll be better. I'm just going to need some time"

Before saying another word, Nora went up to her sister and hugged her tightly. She then turned her gaze to the rest of the group once again.

"Thank you all for everything you've done for me today. Despite everything that's happened today, I'm so glad that I got to meet you. That I can now call all of you my friends." Nora finished, a genuine smile on her face. Despite knowing she truly was happy in that moment, her tear streaked face betrayed her true feelings.

Nora then turned her attention towards Brock once again, her smile still remaining.

"Brock, I can't thank you enough for what you did for me in there." Nora spoke with conviction, clearly serious about how much it meant to her that he helped her through during rough time, even with everything he was already going through.

Brock smiled and rubbed the back of head in response. Ash's mannerisms had definitely rubbed off on him over the years. "I didn't really do much. You're a strong person, Nora. You're handling everything so well. I really admire you for that."

"Brock, this is the hardest thing that I've ever had to go through. I wouldn't have been able to begin getting past this if someone wasn't there with me. Saying the things I needed to hear. Giving me a shoulder to cry on." Nora paused and turned her attention toward her sister again. "I love my sister, but she's not exactly the best at comforting people."

Nora speaking with a sarcastic tone made the group giggle, Pamela included. Nora then took a deep breath, her face turning serious as she faced Brock once more.

"It's going to take a long time to get over losing my cousin...and losing my best friend, but you helped me begin to cope. You may not think that you did much, but you did, Brock. And I appreciate it more than you will ever know." Nora finished her statement by taking Brock into a deep hug.

Brock was surprised, but hugged back immediately. He was more than glad that he was able to help her. And he truly meant what he said and he knew that she meant what she was saying as well.

The embrace lasted for a good while, but no one minded. Everyone could see how much what Brock had done meant to Nora, even if it didn't seem like much. They were all happy that Brock was able to help her begin to cope and that was all that mattered.

The smile previously housed on Ash's face faded away as his thoughts began to overtake him. After what'd happened today, he was hypersensitive about the fact that he and his group weren't the only one's in danger because of Team Rocket.

Wherever he went, he was sure that Team Rocket would be there. And while he wished he could say it would be, he had a sinking feeling that this wasn't going to be the last time an innocent bystander would be affected by _his_ problem.

Nora has lost her best friend, the only reason being because he just happened to be in town that day. Rose had died because Ash had decided to come to Viridian City. He knew he couldn't exactly hold himself responsible, but it was hard not to when it seemed like all of the bad stuff always circled around himself. And because of that, anyone he was with, anyone near him was in danger.

He knew full well that he couldn't help everyone, but that didn't even seem to be the problem at this moment. His mere presence was enough to cause death and destruction all around him, and that made him feel worse than anything else ever could.

Though, he knew full well that he couldn't dwell on this. None of this was his choice, obviously, but that didn't matter. There was nothing he could do but help out in any way he could.

Ash sighed, pushing the thoughts out of his head. Like before, he knew that if he kept these thoughts in his head, then he wouldn't be able to fulfill his promise to take his position as leader more seriously.

"_Arceus, this is gonna be tough."_ Ash thought to himself. He was always an emotional person, so focusing on the task at hand was going to be difficult. But he could focus on these emotions when the task was over. He just hoped that time came sooner rather than later...

"Guys, we should try to get some sleep. I know it's still kind of early but I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted." James stated. They still had a long journey ahead of them and after everything that'd happened today, her knew a good night's sleep would help them tremendously.

Nora, who's eyes were still slightly misty, sniffled before speaking, "You're right. I only have one extra bedroom, but you all are welcome to stay for the night. After all you've done, the least I can do is offer you a place to sleep."

"Thank you, Nora. We really appreciate it." Serena responded kindly. She, like everyone else, wanted nothing more than to just get some sleep.

Nora then turned her attention toward her sister, " You're welcome to stay for the night as well so you don't have to go all the way back to Pewter. We can share my bed, just like when we were kids."

Pamela smiled at the memory, before nodding at her sister, "I'll take you up on that sis, thank you. But I have to leave for a little while. There's a couple more things I need to take care of before I can get some sleep." She then turned her attention toward the rest of the group. "I'll have someone take care of all the preparations for the funeral. We'll try to have the service at noon. There's only one graveyard in Viridian, so it shouldn't be too hard to find. I'll also make sure to let others know. Hopefully some people from the hospital or maybe some people from around the city will come by. I'll see you all there."

Without letting themselves become too saddened by the memory of their lost friend, the group nodded in understanding and expressed their thanks before Pamela took her leave.

"Well, I'm going to head to my room and try to get some sleep. I'm sorry I don't have too much space for everyone. There are a few extra blankets and pillows in the closet over there, though. I hope you all will be comfortable enough." Nora finished, gesturing to the hall closet.

Ash smiled and took the lead, "It's no problem, Nora. Thank you for giving us a place to stay for the night. We really appreciate it."

Nora returned the small smile and turned to enter her room. Once she disappeared behind the door, Ash turned to open the door to the guest room. He peaked his head in and turned the light on, checking out what the place had to offer. After a few moments, he turned around and faced his friends once again.

"Okay, so there's only one bed. Some people will have to sleep on the floor in there too since the living room doesn't really give all of us enough space to sprawl out comfortably." Ash notified his friends. "Dawn, May, Serena, Misty, it's a queen size bed so two or three of you should be able to sleep on it comfortably. And someone is going to have to take the floor. I just thought you four would want to stick together."

All four girls smiled at Ash and nodded. Though, a thought was running through one of their minds, and the other three's subconsciouses.

Ash then turned toward the others, "Okay, so that means the rest of us are-"

"Ummm...Ash?" The trainer was cut off by Dawn's sweet voice. Ash turned toward her, noticing the slightly fearful look on her face. "Do you think you could...sleep with us? In the guest room, I mean. I...we would just feel a lot safer if you were there with us."

Upon hearing Dawn's words, the other girl's nodded their heads in agreement. They were all strong girls in their own right, but having Ash with them would just make them feel a lot safer after what'd happened today.

Ash smiled softly and nodded toward the girls. "Of course. I'd be happy to."

For the first time in a while, Ash's mind drifted back to what Misty had told him a few days ago. The day this all started. How May, Dawn and Serena all had deep feelings for him. How they were in love with him.

Looking back now, he wasn't sure why it surprised him so much when Misty told him. Despite being somewhat 'dense', he'd still managed to catch a few hints from May, Serena and Dawn over the time they traveled together and obviously, May had kissed him. While all of this pointed to the fact that the girls had feelings for him, he still had no idea how deep those feelings ran. That's the reason, Ash supposed, it was so shocking to find out that not one, but three different girls, three of his best friend were deeply in love with him.

He couldn't deny the fact that it felt good to be so cared for, but there were also a load of problems that came with this situation. For one, Misty was right.

If he wasn't careful, someone was going to get hurt. His heart ached just thinking about any of the girls being heartbroken, but he knew he couldn't avoid it forever. When things slowed down, he knew he would need to address it. Plus, there was still the matter of what he felt.

The one thing he was totally sure of was that he cared about all three of them greatly. And the more he thought about it, the more he realized that his feelings for the girls certainly had to run deeper than that of just normal friends. His kiss with May. His near kiss with Serena. He'd found himself admiring Dawn's amazing qualities, and he'd be lying if he said he'd never thought of her as more than a friend. But that could be said of all three of the girls...

Lately, Ash had really learned to hate having time to think. Now, he didn't just have to worry about physical pain happening to those he cares about, but emotional pain as well.

"_This isn't the time."_ Ash said to himself. He had absolutely no idea what to do about this. He knew he would have to face this sooner or later, but that time wasn't now. For the time being, he would just care for them all. He would be there for them. Keep them close.

Keep them safe.

After a while, most people had set up where they were to be sleeping. Blankets, sleeping bags and pillows were sprawled out all over the floor, both in the living room and the guest bedroom.

Many were asleep immediately, but some were finding getting to sleep more difficult than others. Despite being exhausted, four women and one man had forgotten that laying silent in the darkness was a perfect place to let your thoughts consume you. This plagued everyone currently laying in the guest room. May and Dawn occupied the bed, as the two knew each other the best out of everyone, while Ash lie on the floor on the side of the bed closest to the door and Serena and Misty lie on the other.

The four girl's all shared the same thoughts. Ash had lost control for the second time. Dawn was the only person who'd mentioned anything to Ash, but the others didn't know that.

The bluenette wasn't afraid of Ash. Not in the slightest. But she _was_ afraid of what he might have to do in the future. She was more worried about her friends...how they were taking this. She could tell by the looks on their faces that they were thinking about that. She didn't know how she knew, but she just did.

And Dawn's assumption was completely right. Seeing Ash choke that man, almost to death, it was terrifying. It was clear to see that Ash was true to his word, that he would do anything to protect them. But they couldn't realize that at the moment. All they could see was how Ash had gone dark...

The three girls knew that he would never hurt them, but like Dawn, they really didn't like witnessing this side of him. But somewhere deep inside the jumbled mess that was their minds at the moment, they couldn't deny that they were slightly scared of him. They hated themselves for it, knowing how stupid it was , but one of them in particular felt that he needed to know that...

"Ash...?" Misty started after sitting up and peering over the bed to the side that Ash was on. She also turned on the bedside lamp that was just above her head. Seeing the man in question sit up and look at her questioningly, she continued. "There's something I need to say, and I don't want you to get mad, okay?"

Ash looked at the redhead in confusion but soon after, nodded indicating his friend to continue. May and Serena weren't exactly sure what Misty was going to say next, but they had an idea. Dawn on the other hand, knew exactly where this was going.

Dawn was about to speak, hoping to stop Misty before she brought up what she knew she was going to, but Misty beat her to it. She'd seen how hurt Ash was when she'd brought it up the first time and even though she wasn't exactly crazy about what was going on, she knew that Ash was so emotional, so relentless only because of how much he cared for them.

"About what happened today..." Misty was uncharacteristically timid, and Ash noticed this. Immediately he grew worried. "Ash...you did it again. You lost control...you almost killed that man."

Even in the darkness of the room, it was clear to see that Ash reacted immediately to her words. His face darkened, and his eyes looked toward the ground.

Upon seeing his reaction, each of the girls were visibly saddened. This was obviously a sensitive topic, but 3 of the four felt that they had to know what they were thinking. That they needed to get this off of their chests.

Dawn could only sit in silence as she watched the seen unfold in front of her. She hated that they were bringing this up but if they didn't tell Ash what they were feeling, then it would fester until it potentially turned into something ugly. Plus, she was concerned for him, and maybe this would help...? She wasn't exactly sure about that, but her mind was just as jumbled as the others. Despite this, she was prepared to jump in at the first sign of things getting out of hand.

"Ash...this is the second time you went postal...I-we just..." Misty paused, not quite knowing how to continue. She'd quickly realized that the girls around her shared her thoughts.

"You're scared of me...aren't you?" Ash couldn't hide the hurt and slight resentment in his voice.

No one spoke a word but as he looked around the room, he could see the looks on everyone's faces. They were scared. In that moment Ash could only focus on the fact that he did what he did for _them_, and this thought served to add a bit of anger to the list of emotions he was currently feeling. At least, that was how his mind was trying to rationalize it...

Ash's gaze then fell on Dawn. He'd talked about this with her before. She'd promised she wouldn't be afraid of him. He thought that she understood what he may have to do to protect them.

"Even you, Dawn? You promised me..." Ash spoke, his voice so full of hurt that it broke the bluenette's heart. It affected everyone else as well, but they still felt this needed to be talked about. The others were also slightly confused as they didn't know of the two's earlier conversation.

Dawn shook her head immediately. She couldn't stand seeing him so hurt. "No, Ash. I will never be scared of you. You've proven time and time again that all you want to do is protect me. But..." Dawn really didn't want to finish, but she thought saying what she was planning to would help her friends realize that their feelings, that their fear was completely misguided. "But I'm scared of what you might have to do. That you may have to taint your soul in order to do what you think is necessary to protect us."

"I was really scared back when you beat up James. I know that we all were. There was no reason to keep that choke hold in as long as you did, we're just...worried. Scared... of you." Misty finished, not even certain anymore of what she was saying. Her mouth seemed to be moving on its own at this point, something that always happened to Misty when she became overwhelmed

Ash's only reaction was a stoic face, but the girls knew him better than that.

"Is that how you feel as well?" He addressed Serena and May. The two were feeling conflicted after seeing how bad Ash was hurt. Plus after hearing what Dawn had said, they were starting to realize that their feelings were far from based in reality. They weren't sure if they could continue. "Please. If you have something to say, then say it."

"Ash...we're just worried. And what you did...it did scare us." Serena spoke for the both of them, with May nodding in agreement. They realized that they were only scared of his action, not him, but their minds couldn't seem to articulate that point correctly.

Ash's stare remained on the two women for a few moments before nodding, his face still stoic. He then proceeded to stand up, keeping the full attention of the girls. They could tell he was feeling many things at the moment: hurt, sadness, frustration...anger.

Ash sighed and turned away from the group of women, before muttering something under his breath.

"Ash, what're you doing? What did you say...?" May questioned hesitantly. She was really beginning to hate the fact that Misty had brought this up at all.

Ash took a deep breath before turning back toward his friend, his face showing a bit of anger, "I said...You all are naive."

This sentence raised different emotions in each girl. Dawn immediately understood. May and Serena were slightly confused. And Misty felt a bit of anger rise up within her; her short temper, while better than it used to be, still reared its ugly head every now and then.

"Then why don't you explain what you mean wise one" Misty spoke, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Ash looked toward the redhead, and then back toward the others before shaking his head.

"You act like you didn't see what happened today. We watched somebody die. We saw first hand just what Team Rocket is willing to do!" Realizing that he'd inadvertently raised his voice, letting his frustration take control of him, he took a breath and calmed himself. "Look...this is more serious than anything else that we've ever been through. I'm not taking any chances anymore. I can't afford to."

Seeing nobody speaking in the short amount of time he gave for them to respond, he decided to continue. "If I wasn't worth more to them alive than dead, then they would've killed me without a second thought. Then, they would've killed all of you."

"...We understand that, but-" Misty started. Everyone wished she would just shut up. They realized quickly that Ash was right. And despite the fact that he had lost it slightly back then, everything he was saying was true.

"No buts, Misty! If I don't do what's necessary, then we all die! I hate it. I hate what I did. I hate that I almost killed that man, and it scares me that I almost did it. But I just don't understand..." Ash trailed off, his gaze falling to the floor, his tone becoming overcome with sadness.

"After all I've done for you...after saving each of your lives so many times...What I don't understand is how any of you can be afraid of me..." The anger had left Ash's voice, being replaced completely with anguish. Seeing his sadness made all the anger leave Misty and tears to well up in Dawn, Serena and May's eyes. They hated seeing him in pain, and this time around, t seemed that they were the one's who'd caused it.

"I've spent all of my life protecting those I care about, and I care about you guys more than anything! After everything I've said and done...hearing that you're...afraid of me...it's the worst thing you could've said."

With that said, Ash turned around and left the room, slamming the door behind him inadvertently, leaving four shocked, remorseful girls behind.

They didn't mean to hurt him. That was the last thing that any of them ever wanted to do. And they realized completely now that they were never afraid of Ash. They simply didn't fully comprehend everything that was going on. Their minds were so jumbled from the events of the past few days, that only nonsense seemed to spew from their mouths. After all, it was a lot to take in all at once. And the obviously didn't quite know how to convey their feelings.

The room was completely silent for a few minutes, as the girls let tears silently slide down their faces. Dawn had recovered quickly, knowing that she had to say something.

"He's right, you know." Everyone looked at Dawn as they forced their tears away. "About being naive. Everything he said is completely true."

May nodded her head. "I know. I feel so stupid... People are dying. Chances are sooner or later, we might have to go there. Even if it didn't have to happen today...it's almost inevitable."

"Ash is scared, I realize that now." Serena started. "He's so scared of losing us, that he's willing to taint his soul. To do whatever it takes." It almost seemed as if Serena was talking to herself, as if she'd just realized the meaning of what she was saying.

"Oh Arceus...why did I have to bring it up?" Misty berated herself. She'd just hurt her best friend deeply, all because she was feeling something totally incorrect.

"It's not your fault, Misty. It's no one's fault. You guys needed to get your feelings out, or it would've been way worse when you finally reached a breaking point. I did the same thing a few days ago, right before we left the lab. I realized then, what you've realized now."

"We hurt him so badly..." May whispered. She could already feel the tears returning to her beautiful blue eyes. Serena and Misty weren't far behind.

"We have to go apologize." Serena stated, moving to get up off the floor. Only to be stopped by Dawn's voice.

"No we should wait here. Ash will come back soon. You know how he is. He needs a bit of time to think, and then he'll come back. Hell, he'll probably try to apologizes to us." Dawn finished, a small, forced laugh leaving her mouth.

The other girls smiled slightly, also forcing it. They knew Dawn was right. That was just who Ash was. They wouldn't be able to get a wink of sleep until Ash knew just how sorry they were, so they just stared at the door and waited, hoping to Arceus that Ash would be okay.

* * *

Ash stormed away from the guest bedroom, feeling his frustration and anger return. He marched his way past the living room and into the bathroom, flipping on the light and staring in to the mirror as he stood in front of the sink. Having heard that the people he cared about the most in the world had become afraid of him for the second time had cut him deeply.

That being said, he could understand where they were coming from...

There was no need for him to hold the choke for as long as he did, the man was already unconscious. If he hadn't been pulled off of him, then he would've killed that man. No matter what the man had done, it was not a situation where Ash would have needed to kill and yet, he almost did. He'd almost tainted his soul when he didn't have to.

He'd been staring at himself in the mirror, but he hadn't noticed that he'd been breathing so heavily. He brought a hand to his face, feeling the tears streaking down his cheeks that he hadn't even realized he'd been crying. Doing his best to get his breathing under control, he turned the faucet on as cold as it could go and put his head down in order to splash water into his face.

"Are you, okay?"

The voice made Ash jump in surprise. He looked toward the door to see Brock, James and Paul standing in the doorway. It was James who'd spoken.

He still hadn't gotten his breathing completely under control and the look on Ash's face worried his three friends immensley.

"What are you guys doing up? Ash asked, trying but failing to hide the emotion in his voice. His friends immediately noticed that he didn't even acknowledge what James had asked.

Stepping into the larger than average bathroom in order to create more room for everyone, Paul spoke, "You slammed the door when you left the bedroom. It was pretty loud, you know?"

Ash closed his eyes and sighed, "I'm sorry, I-"

"Don't worry about it. Now answer the question: What's wrong?" Paul cut his friend off and spoke sternly.

Ash didn't know why but in this moment, he felt that he had to get past this himself, even despite the fact that he knew that to be untrue. And seeing the stern expression on his friends face made him realize just how much they wanted to help him. And if he'd learned anything over the past few days, it was that getting your thoughts and feelings out in the open was the only way to overcome them.

While the event with the girls had affected him greatly, there was something else that'd forced itself to the forefront of his.

Sighing, Ash began, "It's about today..."

James jumped in immediately, thinking that he knew what this was about, "Ash, I know you're taking Rose's death hard, we all ar-"

"That's not it, James. It's about that man, their leader." Ash spoke lowly, his eyes turning toward the sink.

Brock sighed, he knew what this was about now..."Ash, I know that he almost died. That you almost... It was just a heat of the moment kind of thing, I'm sure. That's not who you are, Ash."

Ash clenched his jaw a few times as thoughts raced through his head. Quickly, he turned to face his friends once again, tears returning to his eyes.

"I don't know about that, Brock. I'm just not sure anymore..." Ash spoke sadly, almost sounding...scared?

"Ash, you have to tell us what exactly you're talking about if you want us to be able to help you. What do you mean?" Paul asked. Brock seemed to have a good idea but to the other two, it was nearly impossible to follow everything that was going on in their friend's mind.

"I'm not upset because I almost killed him." James gulped as Ash spoke so directly. Brock and Paul just held their gaze. Ash quickly looked at the mirror again, then turned back toward his friends. "I wanted to, Paul. I wanted to kill that man. To make him pay for what he did..."

The three men's breathing hitched as they let Ash's words wash over him. They couldn't take their eyes off of the man in front of them as he turned back toward the mirror, his hand holding himself up on the sink.

"After what he'd done, I was so angry I-, I almost killed him because I couldn't control myself. Control my anger. Regardless of what he did, I was sure that I would never take a life unless absolutely necessary and yet, I almost did. What does that say about me? What does that make me?" Ash finished speaking as his head turned toward his friends. His voice was full of conflicting emotions, his eyes continuing to pour tears down his face.

Brock, Paul and James had no idea what to say. This revelation shocked them to their cores, and they were too stunned to even begin to think of something to say.

Ash turned his head back toward his friends

"The girls said that they were afraid of me, you know...Dawn said it to me a few days ago, and the others just told me in there." Ash motioned his head out of the bathroom. "That hurt me so bad..."

"... But how can I blame them for that when I'm afraid of myself?" Ash's voice broke as he spoke. Brock ran forward and took his brother into a hug.

"I'm a monster, Brock. There's a monster hidden inside of me. I can feel it." Ash sobbed. All James and Paul could do was watch on in sadness.

"Ash, listen to me." Brock spoke forcefully, pulling away from his best friends to look him in the eye. "You are not a monster. There's nothing inside of you except for a pure heart. Did you forget that you are of the aura guardian bloodline? You couldn't be an aura guardian without being of pure heart."

"Then how did I almost kill him, Brock? How?!" Ash asked in frustration.

"You said it yourself, Ash, you'd do anything to protect us, to protect them. In your mind, you thought that maybe, just maybe that man didn't deserve a second chance. But at the last second, you realized that he wasn't a threat anymore. That he would never be able to hurt the one's you love ever again." Brock responded strongly.

"I didn't stop, Brock! Not until Nora pulled me off!" Ash yelled in response, forgetting that everyone was sleeping in the next room over.

"So you're telling me that you couldn't have outmuscled, Nora?...Ash, you've overpowered me and Brock together. If you really didn't want to let go, then you wouldn't have." It was Paul who spoke this time, catching Ash's attention.

What he'd said was really the first thing that stuck with Ash.

His brain was a jumbled mess. On one hand, Ash was incredibly pissed at himself. After just hours ago saying he would be stronger, here he was again breaking down. But somehow, he had a rationalization that this couldn't happen until he got everything he was dealing with out in the open.

But the vast majority of his brain was focused on himself. How terrified he was of himself. What he almost did. His lack of remorse for what he'd nearly done. Up until the point where Paul brought up being able to finish the job had he wanted to, not a single word had broken through his thoughts. But what Paul had said...he was right.

He remembered that moment clearly. He was just so angry, but the second Jenny grabbed him, the anger slowly started to evaporate. And he hid it well, but he was immediately horrified at what he'd almost done. How, while he was scared of what he'd nearly done, he knew that he would've felt no remorse for killing that man.

Brock knew that he had to strike while the iron was hot; some headway was finally being made. Quickly, Brock approached Ash until the two were standing side to side, both looking into the mirror. A look of immense confliction was pasted on Ash's face. Brock met his brother's gaze in the mirror.

"You're not a monster, Ash." Brock started slowly. "You're the farthest thing from it. You're brave. You're a hero. You're willing to do what no one else will, but you know when to stop. You did stop."

Brock pulled Ash's shoulder, forcing the man to face him. "You're not a killer, Ash. You're a protector. You're a guardian."

"He's right, Ash. No one is scared of you, they just don't quite know how to comprehend what is happening yet. You can't blame them for that, this is all a lot to take in. Plus, they wouldn't have asked you to sleep in the same room with them if they were really afraid of you." James added. His words relaxed Ash about the topic at hand, but only slightly. This would be something he needed to talk to the girls about again later.

His friend's words were snapping Ash out of his funk. He needed these words of reassurance more than anything at the moment. He truly felt as if he was a monster. That everyone thought him to be monster.

He'd accepted not long ago that at some point during this journey, he may have to take someone's life. Everyone had to be prepared for that. He didn't like it, but if it came to a life or death situation, he was going to pick life every single time, no matter what it took. He just hoped that he had the discretion in the future to decide when lethal force would be necessary...

"Thanks you guys." Ash smiled genuinely at his friends. "Just...hearing that the people I love the most in the world, were having thoughts like that...that they were afraid of me, it made me think about what kind of person I am. If I really was a monster. But you guys helped me break through that. The final barrier in my mid that needed to be cleared so that I can be the best I can be. Thank you for that."

His friends smiled back at him, nodding in appreciation of his words. No one acknowledged the fact that he'd said 'love'; they knew he loved them all, like a family, mostly, but they still weren't sure what he felt for the girls. Though, it did seem to be just...more.

"Come on. We should get to bed, we still have a long journey ahead of us." Paul said as he began leaving the bathroom. The others followed him out immediately.

As they left, they noticed that Nora, Max, Tracey and Meowth were all wide awake and had seemingly been listening. Ash couldn't blame them for that; he had been obscenely loud. He was beginning to feel bad about that.

Ash looked at the four people in front of him, showing regret on his face. "I'm sorry for waking you. And,m um...how much did you hear, exactly?"

It's not that he was trying to be secretive, he was just curious as to what they know. If they'd heard anything, then he'd have some explaining to do. If they'd heard it all, that would surely save him a lot of time.

"Enough to understand what you're going through. And it's okay, Ash. We'll get back to sleep soon." Nora spoke, putting a comforting hand on the man's shoulder. "I'm sorry you felt that way, but Brock is right. You're a pure hearted man. I can tell that much. You're no monster."

Ash smiled in appreciation and nodded his head in acknowledgment.

Seeing a break, Max decided to let Ash know something, "Ash, the girls were here too. They heard everything."

Upon hearing this, Ash sighed. He knew that hearing what he'd said probably caused a lot of pain for the women. He'd also raised his voice at them. Even though he was just trying to make them understand, he couldn't deny that anger didn't play some role in what he'd said, how he'd spoken to them. Now that he was past this, he was deeply remorseful for what he'd said and done.

Ash nodded at the younger boy. "Thanks, Max." He then turned back toward everyone else. "You guys should go back to bed. I'm going to head back to the guest room...hopefully the girls are still awake."

With that said, Ash turned on his heels and walked back toward the guest bedroom. He stopped himself when he reached the door. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door.

He wasn't sure what he was expecting to see behind that door. Ash was so hurt by the words of the girls that he never really managed to gauge the looks on their faces. If he had, he might have had an idea of what to expect when he walked through that door.

Even after he'd closed the door behind him, the girls still hadn't looked his way; it was clear they were deep in thought, lost in their minds.

"I'm so sorry." Ash got out after a few moments.

Ash's words made the girls snap out of their stupors and look to him, the remorseful looks on their faces only became more pronounced as they did so. Their faces was covered in sadness as tears ran down their cheeks.

Seeing them like this cut Ash deeply. He felt responsible.

"Oh, Ash..." May spoke. Her voice was remorseful, as was expected, but also full of concern.

"You have absolutely nothing to apologize for." Serena started. "We're the one's to blame this time."

"Ash, we had no right to bring up what we did. We should have known it was already effecting you. We just made it so much worse. We're so, so sorry." Misty was the one who spoke this time.

"Ash, none of us are scared of you. I understood that days ago, and they understand that now. After all you've done for us, after nearly dying to protect us, we know you would never hurt us. We're just scared _for_ you. We care about you so, so much." Dawn added. Finally, someone had gotten out what the girls were actually feeling.

Ash nodded, "Please don't apologize, you've done nothing wrong. You had every right to feel what you did, but I'm glad that you realized that everything I do is for you. You, the others, you're my life. I would do absolutely anything for you."

The May, Dawn and Serena's hearts melted at Ash's words, and Misty felt great comfort as well. They can't believe how downright stupid they'd been. They were just so overwhelmed that their thoughts turned crazy.

"You're completely right about everything. We were being naive. And I can't believe us being so _stupid_ caused you so much pain. Caused you to think that you're a monster." Serena stated sadly.

"I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you thought that I didn't trust you completely. That you believed that you weren't the single most important thing in my life. You shouldn't have to feel pain from me. From us. I only want you to feel just how much I care about you." May spoked sweetly, her words hitting Ash's heart just as Serena's had.

"Ash...you are the furthest thing from a monster there can be. You're a hero. A protector. And the most important person in my life. In all of our lives. We're just so scared for you. I have no idea what I'd do without you...I don't know if any of us would be able to go on..." Dawn mentioned. Knowing how May and Serena felt about Ash, rivalry aside, the bluenette knew that this needed to be said. To make the man she loved feel better. To make him feel loved once again.

"You mean the world to me. And I'm eternally grateful that I have you all in my life. That somehow, I was lucky enough to meet each of you. Even though I don't believe you have anything to apologize for, I forgive you. I'm glad that you can finally see that everything I do, is to make sure that you're as happy and safe as possible." Ash finished his speech with a bright smile.

It was at this moment he realized what he felt for May, Dawn and Serena. He couldn't believe he hadn't seen it before...

It was love.

He cared about them so incredibly deeply, that it couldn't be anything less. Hell, the word love didn't seem to do what he was feeling justice. Of course, this realization just caused another problem to pop up, but he could worry about that later. For now, he just wanted to revel in the happiness that the girls have brought him.

The women hopped off of the bed, Misty included, and hugged Ash as tightly as they could. It was minutes before they finally broke apart. Before they realize just how tired they really were.

"Hey, Ash..." May started shyly, catching everyone's attention. "Would you... sleep on the bed tonight."

Ash looked at the brunette in confusion, "No, you and Dawn get the bed. We decided that earlier. You two need a good nights rest after all."

"No Ash, I don't think that's what she means..." Misty stated with a smirk.

Ash looked at the redhead in confusion. He then turned his attention to May, Dawn and Serena, who's faces were all flushed pink and looking down at the floor with small, hopeful smiles on their faces.

May was the first to look up, "Yeah... What I meant was, would you...you know...sleep...with us...?" May spoke shyly. She wanted nothing more than to spend the night cuddled up to the man she loved the most in the world.

Her voice was adorable in this way, Ash thought to himself before he registered what she had said.

As soon as he realized what was just asked of him, his eyes widened in surprise. Obviously, she hadn't meant in the sexual way as there were other people there. So she, and the other two by the looks of it, just wanted to be able to sleep close to him. His heart was racing in excitement, especially after what he'd just realized, but he was also incredibly embarrassed. He didn't know if this was exactly a great idea.

"Bu-But isn't the bed only-"

"It's much bigger than it looks!" Dawn spoke so quickly, that it shocked those around her. As she realized this, she flushed even redder and put her head down again.

Ash didn't know what to say at this point. He wanted this badly, knowing how comfortable he would feel sleeping in their embrace, but he was still conflicted.

Seeing the confliction on his face, Serena took a deep breath and steeled herself. She took a step forward and caught Ash's gaze. She wasn't going to falter this time. No more embarrassment.

"Ash, please. We just want to be close to you..." Serena spoke, her surprisingly level.

Upon seeing just how badly the three wanted this, Ash gave in. He just felt so incredibly loved. "O-Okay..."

The girls' faces lit up upon hearing Ash's answer. The three then cast a quick glance at Misty, whom scoffed.

"Don't look at me. I'm more than happy staying on the floor."

May, Dawn, Serena and Ash giggled at the redhead before Ash climbed into bed. He wasn't quite sure how this was going to work since there were three of them, but he decided he would just go with whatever they chose to do.

Serena entered the bed from the left and grabbed Ash's arm, holding it close as her head rested on his shoulder. May did the same, only from the right side. His arm was right up against their breasts, and he's be lying to say he wasn't a little excited; he'd have to show some serious self control on this night.

Now that two of the three girls were situated, Ash began wondering how Dawn would managed to fit. She wanted to cuddle with him, just as May and Serena were, but she wasn't exactly sure how. After a few moments of thinking, she got an idea. A rather bold one at that...

Ash watched as she approached him from the foot of the bed. Wondering what she was doing, Ash simply watched as the beautiful bluenette made her move. She crawled up the bed until she was literally on top of Ash, her head reaching his chest level before she stopped.

Dawn looked up, to meet Ash's gaze, flushed pink with embarrassment, but also holding a mischievous smile on her face, "Is this okay, Ash? I'm not too heavy, am I?"

Ash was too stunned to react immediately, but snapped out of it as quick as he can before smiling himself, "Not at all. As long as your comfortable."

"Believe me, I'v never been more comfortable in my life." Dawn stated sweetly, earning hums of agreement from May and Serena. Serena reached down and pulled the large comforter up higher so that It covered up to just below their chests.

The exhaustion as the day was finally overtaking them completely. Just before his eyelids became too heavy to keep open, Ash spoke, "Goodnight."

He received a chorus of goodnights from everyone before he added one last thing, but only in his mind.

"_I love you."_

* * *

**A/N: An extra long chapter for my return! Well, I hope this chapter was worth the 10 month wait lol... Again, I am so sorry for that. If you guys didn't see my author's note before it was deleted, I'll briefly summarize it for you. I play division 1 baseball and that, along with school took up all of my time. Now however, it is summer and I have much more free time. You can expect semi-regular updates all summer long!**

**And I feel I should mention, even though Ash has realized that he loves May, Dawn and Serena, this does not meant hat the story will have a harem ending. That being said, a harem is an option as of now because I have finally seen a harem done realistically and I think I could do the same. I saw the realistic harem in "The Blue Spirit" By: Silentplayermc03. I recommend this story to everyone; it's by far my favorite story I've ever read. Ash is a badass, the plot is incredible and it is LONG**

**I hope you guys are still there and are still enjoying this story. There's a lot more story left to tell and I'm excited to get it out to you. Please, please leave a review, it really makes me want to write more. See Ya!**


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